2.,3.'o5-. 


W*  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  *^ 

\   \         , 

Presented    by  cy\(2.X'<7\\Oy'^PP-r'e.3^<D'^^<S.r 

BR  125  .M7  1904  i 

Monfort,  Francis  Cassatte, 

1844- 
Applied  theology 


APPLIED  THEOLOGY 


BY 


Rev.  F.  C.  Monfort,  D.D. 


Author  of  Sermons  for  Silent  Sabbaths 

Ecclesiastical  Discipline  ;  The  Law 

of  Appeals ;    Socialism   and 

City  Evangelization. 


Monfort  &  Company 
cincinnati 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1904, 

By  F.  C.  MONFORT, 

In  the  Office  of  the  lyibrarian  of  Congress, 
at  Washington. 


PREFACE. 

The  value  of  things  depends  on  their  use 
Art  for  Art's  sake  is  beautiful  to  those  who 
appreciate  it,  but  "Art  applied  to  industry" 
is  useful  to  humanity.  Pure  mathematics 
is  the  perfection  of  mental  discipline,  but 
"Applied  mathematics"  is  the  better  half 
of  almost  every  other  science.  So  Theology 
finds  its  best  use  when  applied.  Every  doc- 
trine has  its  practical  side.  Thoughts  of 
God  suggest  duty  and  privilege.  It  is  the 
purpose  of  this  book  to  discuss  doctrines 
with  emphasis  on  their  application  to  prac- 
tical life. 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

The  Purpose  of  Life 9 

The  Scripttjee 14 

What  Is  God? 21 

The  Divine  Attributes 26 

Divine  Sovereignty 33 

The  Trinity 38 

Creation   44 

The  Fall 50 

Human  Freedom 56 

Reprobation   60 

Providence 64 

Special  Providence 69 

Prophecy   76 

Spiritual  Vision 86 

Miracles   88 

The  Logos 93 

Atonement  98 

The  Risen  Savior 103 

Grace  and  Faith 107 

A  Personal  Savior 110 


6  Applied  Theology. 

PAGE 

Feae  and  Love 113 

Sin  Against  Self 117 

Born  of  God 120 

Sanctification 123 

The  Peace  of  GtOD 126 

Perseverance  129 

Christian  Liberty 132 

Walking  with  God 137 

The  Prince  of  This  World 141 

Exact  Science 149 

"  Science  Falsely  So-Called" 152 

The  Church 155 

Church  Attendance 158 

Christian  Unity 161 

The  Sacraments 165 

Self-Examination  170 

Idolatry  173 

Profanity  176 

The  Sabbath 180 

Parents  and  Children 185 

Suffer  Little  Children 188 

Thy  Neighbor  as  Thyself 190 

covetousness  195 

National  Safety 198 


Contents. 


PAGE 

Philanthropy   204 

Prayer  207 

Hindrances  to  Prayer 212 

Final  Triumph 217 

Heaven   222 

"  What  Shall  We  Do?" 230 


THE  PURPOSE  OF  IJFE. 

The  question  of  man's  chief  end  is  the 
great  question  of  the  ages.  Religious  teach- 
ers recognize  this.  Philosophers  seek  a 
"summum  bonum,"  or  highest  good.  The 
multitudes  strive  for  happiness  or  success. 
All  ask,  "What  is  the  best  thing  to  do,  or 
get,  or  become?" 

The  answers  men  give  to  this  question 
are  singularly  alike  in  all  ages.  Some  say: 
Pleasure  is  the  one  thing.  Enjoy  life — 
gratify  appetite  and  passion  to  the  fullest 
extent.  "Let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  to- 
morrow we  die."  Others  say  that  wealth, 
or  power,  or  knowledge  is  the  thing  to  be 
sought  above  all  else;  while  still  others 
hold  that  the  highest  good  is  a  spirit  supe- 
rior to  all  lesser  good,  as  well  as  evil — a 
stoicism  indifferent  alike  to  success  and 
failure. 

The  Bible  recognizes  man's  longing  for 
the  highest  good.  Solomon,  in  the  Book 
of  Ecclesiastes,  tells  the  story  of  his  ef- 
fort to  find  out  "what  was  that  good  for 
the  sons  of  men  which  they  should  do  un- 
der heaven  all  the  days  of  their  life;" 
(2)  (9) 


10  Applied  Theology. 

Micah  declares  how  tlie  Lord  "hatli  shewed 
thee,  0  man,  what  is  good;"  Paul  an- 
nounces a  supreme  thing  which,  whether 
men  eat  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  they  dc, 
if:  at  once  their  first  duty  and  highest 
good;  while  Christ,  in  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount,  declares  that  the  one  good  which 
men  should  "seek  first"  includes  all  lesser 
good. 

The  Book  of  Ecclesiastes  may  be  read  as 
a  commentary  on  the  words  of  Miicah, 
Paul  and  Christ.  Solomon  tested,  as  per- 
haps no  o^ne  else  has  ever  done,  all  the 
answers  which  men  give  to  the  great  ques- 
tion. He  tried  pleasure,  the  gratification 
of  appetite  and  passion,  and  said:  "It  Is 
vanity."  He  tried  wealth,  and  said  it  does 
not  satisfy  — "  He  that  loveth  silver  shall 
not  be  satisfied  with  silver."  He  tried 
learning,  and  said:  "He  that  increaseth 
knowledge,  increaseth  sorrow."  He  was 
a  King,  and  gathered  "the  peculiar  treas- 
ure of  kings,"  "more  than  all  that  were 
before  him,"  but  found  it  "vanity  and  vexa- 
tion." He  set  forth  an  ideal  of  family 
comfort — a.  man  rejoicing  with  the  wife  of 
his  youth  and  surrounded  by  his  children 
in  peaceful  old  age,  but  said  though  "he 
beget  an  hundred  children  and  live  many 
years,  and  his  soul  be  not  filled  with  good. 


The  Purpose  of  Life.  11 


I  say  that  an  untimely  birtli  is  better  than 
he."  He  was  a  stoic,  indifferent  to  all 
about  him,  but  found  no  comfort.  He  was 
a  cynic,  but  warned  men  against  cynicism. 
He  ti'ied  every  prescription  of  every  land, 
and  proved  it  a  failure.  After  youth  and 
(uanhood  and  old  age,  after  pleasure  and 
wealth  and  power,  after  study,  and  even 
after  the  exercise  of  many  virtues,  he 
wrote:   "It  is  vanity." 

Pleasure  is  good.  Honor,  wealth,  power, 
home,  friends  and  peaceful  old  age  all  are 
good,  but  they  are  not  the  highest  good. 
There  is  something  for  which  men  long, 
and  without  which  they  must  be  eternally 
dissatisfied. 

The  end  of  Solomon's  experiments  and 
his  answer  to  the  old,  old  question,  were: 
"l^t  us  hear  the  conclusion  of  the  whole 
matter.  Fear  God,  and  keep  his  com- 
mandments; for  this  is  the  whole  duty  of 
man."  Micah  gives  the  same  answer: " 
"He  hath  shewed  thee,  0  man,  what  is 
good;  and  what  doth  the  Lord  require  of 
thee,  but  to  do  justly,  and  to  love  mercy, 
and  to  walk  humbly  with  thy  God?"  Paul 
said:  "Whether  ye  eat  or  drink,  or  what- 
soever ye  do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God." 
And  Christ  declared:  "Seek  ye  first  the 
kingdom   of    God    and    his    righteousness. 


12  Applied  Theology. 

and  all  these  things  [all  necessary  good] 
shall  be  added  unto  you." 

This  question  of  the  ages  is  not  a  ques- 
tion for  theologians  and  philosophers 
alone.  Every  man  and  women  and  child 
must  answer  it.  It  is  a  question  for  the 
school-room,  the  play-ground,  the  home, 
the  store,  the  field,  the  office  and  the  fac- 
tory. What  is  the  chief  end  of  man?  It 
is  to  glorify  God  and  to  enjoy  him  for- 
ever. The  highest  duty  and  the  highest, 
blessing  are  one.  God  has  put  them  to- 
gether, and  man  can  not  puu  them  asun- 
der. To  fear  God;  to  seek  his  kingdom; 
to  keep  his  commandments;  to  love  what 
he  loves,  and  to  be  holy  as  he  Is  holy  — 
these  are  to  glorify  him,  and  they  who 
glorify  him  will  enjoy  him.  His  service 
will  be  a  delight,  and  communion  with 
him  the  highest  joy. 

This  enjoyment  will  endure.  He  who 
worships  pleasure  enjoys  it  only  for  a 
little  time.  Riches  take  wingE,  and  so  do 
honors  and  power.  Even  friends  and 
home  are  ours  for  a  brief  space,  but  he 
who  glorifies  God  enjoys  him  forever. 
Christ  promised  them  all  that  they  ro- 
qnire  for  this  life,  and  in  the  world  to 
come  life  everlasting.  David  said:  "In  thy 
presence  is  fullness  of  joy;    at  thy  right 


The  Purpose  of  Life,  13 

hand  there  are  pleasures  for  evermore." 
There  is  no  enjoymenit  to  compare  with 
the  enjoyment  of  God.  It  satisfies  while 
It  lasts,  and  it  lasts  forever. 


THE  SCRIPTURES. 

There  is  truth  in  tlie  poet's  description 
of  man  as  an  "infant  crying  in  the  night.' 
Ignorance  is  darkness.  Unaiaed  humanity 
is  conscious  of  need,  and  of  longing,  but 
knows  neither  what  it  wants  nor  how  to 
attain  it.  Men  feel  after  God  if  haply 
they  may  find  him,  though  he  is  not  far 
f]om  any  one  of  us.  A  parent  may  be 
near,  but  a  child  in  the  night  knows  it 
only  by  some  word  or  touch.  So  God  is 
near,  and  yet  infinitely  far,  unless  he  make 
some  revelation  of  himself.  If  he  is  to 
be  known,  he  must  speak.  If  the  veil  be- 
tween the  finite  and  the  infinite  is  to  be 
removed,  the  infinite  must  remove  it.  If 
there  is  any  rule  to  direct  man  how  he 
may  glorify  and  enjoy  God,  it  is  a  divice 
rule. 

We  rejoice  that  our  race  is  not  left  in 
ignorance.  The  longings  and  tears  of  hu- 
manity are  answered.  There  is  a  voice 
in  the  night.  God  who  spake  in  times  past 
by  his  prophets  has  in  later  days  spoken  by 
his  Son,  and  his  Word  not  only  brings 
(14) 


The  Scriptures.  li 

quiet  and  comfort,   but  is   our  liglit    and 
law. 

There  is  a  great  deal  in  a  name.    When 
we  speak  of  the  Scriptures,  certain   writ- 
ings are  distinguished  from  all  others  as 
"the  writings,"  for  that  is  the  meaning  of 
the    word.    There     were     n?any    writings 
known  In  Christ's  day,  hut  when  he  said, 
"Search  the  Scriptures,"  his  disciples  knew 
that    he    meant    the    particular    writings 
known  as  the  Scriptures,  and  of  which  we 
speak  as  the  Old  Testament.    We  now  use 
the  word  in  a  wider  sense  to  include  the 
New  Testament,  made  up  of  the  writings 
of  apostles  and  evangelists,  the  companions 
of  Christ  during  his  earthly  life,  who  were 
commissioned  to  carry  on  his  work.   These 
two    Testaments,    the    Old    and    the    New, 
are  the  Scriptures,  the  writing  as  distin- 
guished from  all  other  writings.     We  speak 
of    them    also    as   the  Bible;    that  is,  the 
Book    as    distinguished    from     all     other 
books. 

The  Old  and  New  Testaments  are  two 
covenanfts.  They  are  revelations  of  God, 
and  of  his  will  to  men,  with  promises  of 
blessing.  One  treats  of  a  coming  Re- 
deemer. Its  history,  laws,  ceremonies, 
prophecies  and  instruction  all  look  for- 
ward to  a  Messiah  to    come.    The    other 


16  Applied  Theology. 

treats  of  the  Messiah  who  came  in  the 
fullness  of  time,  and  who  is  to  come 
again  without  sin  unto  salvation.  The 
two  are  one  Book,  and  with  it  no  other 
book  compares.  They  are  God's  word  to 
man.  They  meet  man's  necessities.  They 
answer  his  longings.  They  are  a  light  in 
Jjis  darkness.  Tiey  show  him,  not  only 
hi?  highest  good,  but  how  it  Is  to  be  at- 
tained. 

The  existence  of  such  a  book  is  not  an 
accident,  nor  to  be  explained  by  the  rules 
of  ordinary  criticism.  The  civilized  peo- 
ples of  the  world  have  not  given  a  volume 
i^nch  pre-eminence  without  reasons.  The 
canon  or  catalogue  of  books  which  com- 
pose the  Old  Testament  wa?  established 
and  recognized  long  before  the  coming  of 
Christ,  just  as  we  have  it  to-day,  while 
that  of  the  New  Testament  was  established 
very  soon  after  the  books  were  written, 
•and  continues  unchanged.  True,  there 
have  been  discussions  and  controversies 
as  to  particular  books,  and  some  have  held 
that  the  books  of  the  Apocrypha  should  be 
included,  but  through  It  all  the  Scriptures 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  have  held 
their  place  as  the  word  of  God.  A  thing 
is  not  necessarily  true  because  it  has 
been  long  believed,  but  when  a  book  has 


The  Scriptures.  17 

held  such  pre-eminence  for  so  many  cen- 
turies, the  burden  of  proof  is  with  those 
who  question  its  genuineness  and  au- 
thority. 

Our  belief,  however,  that  the  Bible  is 
the  word  of  God  does  not  rest  on  the  tes- 
timony of  men,  nor  even,  on  that  of  coun- 
cils nor  of  the  church  which  accepts  it. 
It  speaks  for  itself.  A  child  is  quieted  by 
a  word  because  it  knov^s  the  parent's  voice. 
So  the  devout  soul  knows  the  voice  of 
the  Heavenly  Father.  There  is  in  the 
Book  itself  that  which  proves  its  divine 
origin.  The  more  we  read,  the  clearer  it 
is  that  never  man,  writing  his  own 
thoughts  only,  wrote  as  the  writers  of  the 
Bible  have  done.  Its  revelation  of  the  di- 
vine character  is  not  of  the  earth.  No 
man  could  have  conceived  such  a  God  as 
it  describes.  Its  rules  of  conduct  are  not 
man's  rules.  Its  revelation  of  the 
atonement  is  above  and  beyond  humian 
thinking.  Its  remedy  for  sin,  so  effective 
and  yet  so  simple,  proves  its  source.  When 
the  man  bom  blind  was  asked  of  Christ, 
he  said:  "Whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I 
see."  "If  this  man  were  not  of  God,  he 
could  do  nothing."  So  we  say  of  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Bible:  "Whereas  we  were 
blind,  now  we  see;  whereas  we  were  lost 


18  Applied  Theology. 

and  hopeless,  now  we  rejoice  in  the  hope 
of  the  glory  of  God."  If  this  Book  were 
not  of  God,  it  could  not  do  this.  The  suc- 
cess of  a  medicine  proves  the  wisdom 
which  prescribes  it.  So  the  efficacy  of  the 
doctrines  of  the  Bible  proves  its  divinity. 
The  i>erfectIon  of  the  Bible  and  the  har- 
mony of  its  parts  show  its  divine  author- 
ship. It  is  one  Book,  with  one  theme  and 
one  purpose,  and  yet  it  is  made  up  of  sixty- 
six  different  books,  by  no  less  than  thirty- 
eight  different  writers  living  in  different 
lands,  and  covering  a  perioid  of  more  than 
fifteen  centuries.  Some  one,  writing  of 
the  British  navy,  says  that  \v.  the  center  of 
every  rope,  little  and  large,  on  every  ship, 
r.ms  a  fine  colored  thread,  "the  queen's 
strand."  So  through  every  book  and 
chapter  of  the  Bible  runs  a  scarlet  thread, 
the  mark  of  divine  mercy,  which  can  not 
be  mistaken.  The  perfect  harmony  of  the 
xvriters  proves  a  common  inspiration.  That 
the  different  parts  of  a  machine,  when  put 
together,  form  la  perfect  wholo,  proves  tha-t 
they  were  intende'd  to  go  together.  We 
can  not  suppose  that  different  men  pre- 
pared the  d-ifferent  parts  with  no  agree- 
ment or  controlling  purpose.  Equally  irn- 
leasonable  is  it  to  think  that  the  writers 
of  the  Bible,  living  hundreds  of  years 
apart,  prepared  books  which  merely  hap- 


The  ;:icriptures. 


19 


pen  to  fit,  each  in  its  place.    The  hannoay 
cf  the  Bible  pi-oves  that  it  is  God's  Book. 
The    Bible   declares   its   divine    author- 
ship.    "AH  Scripture  is  given  by  inspira 
tion  of  God  and  is  profitable."    The  Revised 
Version  says:    "Every  Scripture   given  by 
inspiration  is  profitable,"  and  in  the  mar- 
gin:  "Every  Scripture  is  given  by  inspira- 
tion and  profitable."     These  different  ren- 
derings  emphasize   the   truth    that   "every 
Scripture,"  or  "all  Scripture"  (meaning  the 
books  recognized  as  Scripture)  is  inspired. 
"Holy  men  of  old  spake  as  they  were  moved 
by    the    Holy  Ghost."      It    was    God    who 
"spake  in  times  past  unto  the  fathers  by 
the  prophets."     The  apostles  declared  that 
they  gave  not  the  word  of  men,  but  the 
word  of  God.     The  v/hole  testimony  of  the 
Scriptures  is  that  whatever  part  man  may 
have  had  in  their  composition,  God  is  their 
author, 

Witli  this  and  with  all  other  proofs, 
there  is  also  the  testimony  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  witn^ses  with  the  Word  and 
by  it  in  the  hearts  of  good  people.  His 
testimony  is  unanswerable.  We  are  some- 
times perplexed  by  arguments,  and  in 
doubt  as  to  the  value  of  testimony  upon 
which  we  have  relied,  when,  in  an  in- 
stant, and  with  no  explanation,  we  havp 
the    conviction   that   this   is   God's  word 


20  Applied  Theology. 

God  liimself  seems  to  speak,  as  of  old,  and 
to  say:  "Hear  the  words  of  my  mouth.." 
Unbelievers  may  scoff  at  this,  and  some 
good  people  may  only  partially  feel  its 
fcrce.  It  must  be  spiritually  discerned. 
It  does  not  take  the  place  of  other  testi- 
mony, but  supplements  and  strengthens 
It.  It  is  a  strong  ground  of  assurance  to 
tbem  who  live  near  to  God.  He  who  does 
God's  will  knows  of  the  doeijrine  and  of 
the  book  that  they  are  of  God.  The  hap- 
piest Christian  life  is  that  of  the  man 
v/ho,  by  obedience,  faith  and  devotion  to 
God,  continually  invites  the  testimony  of 
the  Spirit  of  God. 

The  purpose  of  Scripture  is  to  declare 
God's  character  and  will,  so  that  men  may 
glorify  and  be  blessed  in  him.  "All  Scrip- 
ture is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof, 
for  correction,  for  instruction  in  right- 
eousness," to  the  end  that  God's  people 
loay  be  perfect  in  him.  It  is  a  rule,  a 
standard,  a  light,  a  guide,  and  an  in- 
structor. It  is  to  be  studied,  reverenced 
and  obeyed.  It  is  to  be  translated  and 
circulated  wherever  there  aro  souls  in 
c'arkness.  Its  entrance  is  to  give  light, 
aiid  its  light  is  to  increase  until  the  wholp 
world  is  full  of  the  knowledge  of  God. 


WHAT  IS  GOD? 

Is  he  a  being  high  above  the  earth,  dwell- 
ing in  light  inaccessible  and  full  of  glory,. 
or  does  he  dwell  -with  men  and  care  for 
them?  Is  he  a  Creator  and  a  King,  or  a 
Father  and  a  Friend?  Is  he  a  Judge, 
strict  to  punish  sin,  or  is  he  gracious  and 
full  of  compassion? 

He  is  all  of  these,  and  more.  He  is  a 
God,  near  and  af'ar  off.  He  is  the  Author 
of  all  things.  He  rules  in  heaven  and  on 
earth,  the  immortal,  invisible,  and  only- 
wise  God,  and  yet  he  dwells  with  men,  and 
is  a  companion  of  those  who  are  humble 
and  contrite  in  heart.  He  is  the  Judge  of 
all  flesh,  and  the  source  of  all  grace.  He 
is  "a  consuming  fire,"  and  a  God  of  peace. 
He  is  a  law-giver,  and  a  deliverer.  He 
is  holy;  he  is  "light";  he  is  "love";  he 
"is  a  Spirit";  and  in  his  beingi  and  attrib- 
utes is  infinite,  eternal  and  unchangeable. 

God  is  a  person.  Wo  mean  by  this  thai 
he  has  individuality.  He  is  a  conscious 
intelligence.  In  announcing  himself  to 
Moses,  he  said  "I  am."     The  Bible  begins 

(21) 


22  Applied  Theology. 

by  telling  what  lie  did.  He  created  the 
heavens  and  the  earth.  He  is  more  than 
"force,"  and  more  than  law.  The  former 
is  his  power,  and  the  latter  is  his  will. 
Neither  law  nor  force  creates  itself.  There 
is  force  in  the  spring  of  a  watch,  but  back 
of  the  spring  is  an  intelligent  person  who 
made  and  tempered  it.  So  there  is  a  force 
which  moves  worlds,  as  the  hands  of  a 
watch  move  round  their  center,  but  back 
of  this  is  a  personal  intelligence.  A  watch 
proves  the  existence  of  a  watchmaker.  So 
a  world  proves  the  existence  of  a  world - 
maker,  and  a  law  the  existence  of  a  law- 
maker. 

God  is  a  Spirit.  We  associate  personality 
with  a  form  and  features;  but  a  spirit  has 
no  form  which  can  be  seen  with  natural 
eyes.  Tt  "hath  not  flesh  and  bones,"  as 
men  have.  We  know,  however,  that  flesh 
and  bones  are  not  all  of  man,  nor  even 
the  best  of  his  personality.  Man  is  a 
spirit  as  well  as  a  body.  He  does  not  live 
by  bread  alone,  which  nourishes  his  flesh, 
but  by  spiritual  food.  His  body  may  be 
marred,  or  even  buried  and  decay,  but  the 
spirit  lives.  Man  was  made  in  the  image 
of   God.     His   spirit   was   like   the   divine 


What  Is  God?  23 

Spirit,  and,  though  limited  and  changed 
by  sin,  will  serve  as  an  illustration,  weak, 
but  the  best  we  have  of  Him  in  whose  im- 
age he  was  made.  Man  is  a  spirit,  finite 
and  fallen.  God  is  a  Spirit,  infinite,  eter- 
nal and  unchangeable. 

How  shall  the  finite  comprehend  the  in- 
finite? No  man  can  measure  the  immensity 
of  space,  or  tell  the  length  of  eternity. 
Go  as  far  as  he  will,  and  add  figures  to 
figures  until  all  the  paper  at  his  com- 
mand is  covered,  and  no  man  can  tell  in 
mathematical  terms  what  the  figures  mean 
in  years  or  miles,  and  the  limits  of  time 
and  space  are  still  unreached.  Tliere  is 
always  more  beyond. 

God  is  infinite;  he  can  not  be  measured. 
No  man  by  searching  can  find  out  the  Al- 
mighty to  perfection.  Our  reason  can  go 
but  a  little  way,  and  beyond  that  is  still 
the  infinite.  God  is  everywhere,  in  heaven 
and  on  earth  and  in  the  sea.  No  man  can 
flee  from  him.  or  hide  himself.  He  fills 
the  universe.  He  is  in  all  things,  and  yet 
distinct  from  and  above  all  things, 

God  is  eternal.  We  count  back  and  say 
we  are  so  many  years  old,  but  with  him 
is  neither  beginning  nor  end.     The  world 


24  Applied  Theology. 

had  its  beginning  when  he  made  it,  but  lie 
was  from  everlasting,  and  continues  to 
everlasting. 

He  is  unchangeable.  He  was  never 
young,  and  will  never  be  old.  Before  the 
mountains  v/ere  brought  forth  or  ever  lie 
had  formed  the  earth,  and  after  the  earth 
is  dissolved,  even  from  everlasting  to  ever- 
lasting, in  eternity  past,  present  and  fu- 
ture, he  is  the  same  unchangeable  God. 

He  is  the  only  God.  There  is  no  room 
for  another;  there  is  no  possibility  of  an- 
other. The  heathen  have  idols,  but  they 
are  not  gods.  The  ancients  deified  men,  or 
qualities  in  men,  but  these  were  not  gods. 
He  is  the  living  and  true  God,  the  cre- 
ator and  upholder  of  all  things. 

How  shall  man  stand  in  his  presence? 
Before  him  angels  bow  and  the  archangel 
veils  his  face.  Before  him  cherubim  and 
seraphim  continually  do  cry:  "Holy,  holy, 
holy,  Lord  God  of  hosts!"  The  greatest 
thought  which  can  fill  the  mind  of  man  is 
the  thought  of  God  and  of  our  relation  to 
him.  How  shall  man,  finite  and  sinful, 
stand  before  him? 

He  is  entitled  to  worship.  For  what  he 
is,  and  for  what  he  has  done,  our  souls 
must   bless   and   magnify   him.     He   is   a 


What  Is  Godr  25 

Spirit,  and  his  wx>rsiliip  muist  be  in  spirit; 
not  with  mere  forms  and  bodily  exercises, 
but  with  the  devotion  of  the  heart;  not 
with  lip  service  alone,  but  in  sincerity 
and  in  truth.  He  who  best  appreciates  the 
divine  character,  who  has  the  clearest  con- 
ception of  God  as  a  Spirit  infinite,  eternal 
and  unchangeable  in  all  that  goes  to  make 
up  his  character,  will  have  also  the  best 
appreciation  of  his  own  finite  and  fallen 
state,  and  will  cultivate  most  successfully 
that  humility  and  purity  of  heart  which 
are  the  condition  and  earnest  of  his  favor. 


(3) 


THE  DIVINE  ATTRIBUTES. 

He  who  devoutly  studies  tke  being  and 
character  of  God  feels,  first  of  all,  his  own 
v^eakness.  Thei  finite  can  not  comprehend  the 
infinite.  He  cries  out  with  the  Psalmist: 
"Such  knowledge  is  too  wonderful  for  me; 
it  is  high,  I  can  not  attain  it."  No  man 
can  "find  out  the  Almighty  to  perfection." 
And  yet  some  knowledge  of  God  and  of 
our  duty  to  him  is  possible.  The  direction, 
"Acquaint  thyself  with  him  and  be  at 
peace,"  is  in  harmony  with  the  Savior's 
prayer  for  his  disciples  that  they  might 
"know"  "the  only  true  God,"  and  with  the 
declaratioil  that  to  know  him  aright  is  life 
eternal.  All  that  man  needs  to  know  of 
the  divine  character  and  will  is  before  him 
in  the  divine  Word  and  works. 

Crod  is  revealed  in  nature;  climly  it  is 
true,  but  unmistakably.  The  heavens  de- 
clare his  glory.  The  universe  tells  his 
visdom  and  power.  His  providence  is  an 
open  book.  "He  left  not  himself  without 
a  witness  in  that  he  did  good,"  supplying 
(26) 


The  Divine  Attributes.  27 

the  wants  af  his  creatures.  His  eternal 
power  and  Godhead  are  manifest  in  his 
works,  so  that  they  who  fail  to  see  and 
serve  liim  are  without  excuse. 

Tlie  inspired  writers  call  attention  to 
this  testimony  of  nature,  and  supplement 
it.  They  do  not  limit  themselves  to  attrib- 
utes revealed  in  creation  and  providence, 
but  announce  others,  if  possible,  more 
glorious.  God  is  infinite,  not  only  in  wis- 
dom, power  and  goodness,  but  in  justice, 
mercy,  truth  and  holiness.  If  those  who 
fail  to  see  him  in  nature  are  without  ex- 
cuse, what  is  the  condemnation  of  those 
who  having  his  open  word,  Ignore  his  sal- 
vation? 

God  is  wise.  A  workman  is  known  by 
his  works.  A  skillful  invention  shows  the 
wisdom  of  the  inventor.  So  the  wonderful 
mechanism  and  laws  of  the  universe  prove 
the  wisdom  of  him  who  invented  it.  Tliose 
who  study  astronomy  use  a  planetarium 
to  show  the  motions  of  the  heavenly  bod- 
ies. A  slight  touch  causes  spheres  to  re- 
volve and  move  about  each  other  as  the 
sun,  moon  and  planets  move  in  the  heav- 
ens. To  invent  such  mechanism  one  must 
be  wise.    He  must  have  knowledge  of  the 


28  Applied  Theology. 

universe  that  is  represented  in  miniature 
as  well  as  mechanical  skill.  What  shall 
we  say,  then,  of  him  who  made  the  uni- 
verse itself,  and,  as  his  crowning  work, 
made  man,  endowing  him  with  wisdom  to 
understand  and  imitate  the  great  desigaV 
He  who  gave  man  knowledge,  shall  he  not 
know?  The  God  who  gave  wisdom  must 
himself  be  wise.  The  Scriptures  declare 
that  he  is  the  "all  wise"  and  the  "only 
wise."  No  other  wisdom  is  comparable  to 
his.  He  is  omniscient.  In  him  are  all  the 
treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge.  He 
is  the  source  of  all  wisdom.  If  any  man 
lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  who  gi\'- 
eth  to  all  men  liberally,  and  it  shall  be 
given  him. 

God's  power  equals  his  wisdom.  An  in- 
ventor sometimes  sees  principles  and  pos- 
sibilities which  he  can  not  realize.  His 
means  are  limited  or  materials  are  refrac- 
tory; some  obstacle  prevents,  or  perhaps 
the  earthly  life  is  too  short.  God  alone  is 
able  to  do  all  that  his  wisdom  devises. 
He  is  not  only  omniscient,  knowing  all 
things,  but  omnipotent,  able  to  do  all 
things.  "Gcd  hath  spoken  once;  twice 
have  I   heard  this,   that  power  belongeth 


The  Divine  Attributes.  29 

iinto  God."  Hg  doeth  according  to  his 
will,  and  none  can  stay  his  hand  or  say 
unto  him,  What  doest  thou?  He  has 
power  not  only  over  worlds,  but  over  men 
and  evil  spirits.  He  rules  in  heaven  and  in 
earth  and  under  the  earth.  His  people, 
whatever  their  trials,  or  the  trials  of  the 
Church,  are  assured  that  he  will  bring  all 
things  to  pass  according  to  the  wise  coun- 
sel O'f  his  will.  Those  who  rebel  against 
him  wage  a  hopeless  strife,  for  what  can 
man  do  in  conflict  with  the  Almighty? 

God  is  holy.  No  truth  is  more  frequently 
announced  in  the  Bible  and  under  more 
varied  forms  than  this:  "The  Lord  our 
God  is  holy."  Holiness  is  the  sum  of  all 
perfections  and  the  absence  of  all  sin  and 
weakness.  Heathen  religions  know  noth- 
ing of  it.  They  ascribe  to  their  deities 
wisdom  or  greatness,  or  even  goodness,  but 
never  holiness,  Man  is  naturally  sinful, 
and  the  thought  of  holiness  is  foreign  to 
him.  This  is  possibly  the  reason  God's 
holiness  is  so  emphasized  in  the  Bible. 
"There  is  none  holy  as  the  Lord."  "The 
Lord  is  righteous  in  all  his  ways,  and 
holy  in  all  his  works."  His  thoughts  are 
holy.     His   purposes,   works,   laws,   house, 


Applied  Theology. 


day  and  word  all  a-re  holy.  His  people  are 
commanded  to  be  holy.  "Be  ye  holy  as  I 
am  holy."  His  worship  is  to  be  holy. 
"Worship  the  Lord  in  the  beauty  of  holi- 
ness." 

God  is  just.  A  holy  God  can  not  be  un- 
just. He  is  true.  A  holy  God  can  not  be 
untrue.  He  is  faithful.  Hath  he  said  it. 
and  shall  he  not  bring  it  to  pass?  He  is 
good.  The  earth  is  full  of  the  goodness 
of  the  Lord.  Holiness  is  like  light  or  har- 
mony. Other  divine  attributes  are  the  col- 
ors of  the  spectrum  or  the  notes  of  a  chord. 
The  colors  blend  into  pure  white  light,  and 
the  notes  into  a  harmonious  sound. 

God  is  merciful.  At  the  mention  of  this 
attribute  the  mind  reverts  to  his  justice. 
It  confronts  also  the  fact  of  sin.  How 
shall  sinners  expect  mercy  from  a  just 
God?  With  the  earliest  revelations  of  the 
divine  character  came  declarations  of  Tiis 
justice  and  mercy.  "The  Lord  God  merci- 
ful and  gracious,"  "forgiving  iniquity, 
transgression  and  sin,  and  that  will  by  no 
means  clear  the  guilty."  The  study  of 
these  brings  us  face  to  face  with  the  Gos- 
pel. "God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave 
his  only  begotten  Son."  "God  is  love." 
In   the   atonement   of   Christ   "mercy   and 


The  Divine  Attributes.  31 

truth  are  met  together,  righteousness  and 
peace  have  kissed  each  other." 

In  all  the&e  attributes  God  is  infinite, 
eternal  and  unchangeable.  He  is  every- 
where and  always  the  same.  He  is  not  just 
to  one  and  merciful  to  another,  but  just 
and  merciful  to  all  alike.  If  in  dealing 
with  us  his  justice  seems  to  overshadow 
the  milder  attributes,  it  is  because  of  sin. 
If  mercy  is  magnified,  it  is  because  his 
people  find  their  refuge  in  it.  To  the  pure 
he  shows  himself  pure,  and  to  the  froward 
he  appears  froward. 

God's  people  delight  to  dwell  upon  his 
mercy,  and  even  when  they  think  of  other 
attributes  the  thought  of  mercy  is  present. 
His  wisdom  and  power  alone  would  terrify, 
his  justice  dismay  and  his  holiness  over- 
whelm, were  he  not  also  merciful;  but 
united  with  mercy  his  wis'doiit  and  power 
are  their  strength,  his  justice  their  salva- 
tion, and  his  holiness  their  rejoicing  and 
the  goal  of  their  endeavor. 

Oh,  to  be  like  Christ,  who  v/as  God  man- 
ifest in  the  fiesh,  the  brightness  of  his 
glory  and  the  express  image  of  his  person; 
to  let  the  same  mind  be  in  us  which  was 
also  in  him;  to  live  by  the  faith  of  the 
Son  of  God;    to  be  holy  as  he  is    holy. 


32  Applied  Theology. 

Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they 
shall  see  God.  When  we  are  like  him, 
we  shall  see  him  as  he  is.  Then  we  will 
truly  know  him  whom  to  know  is  ever- 
lasting life. 


DIVINE  SOVEREIGNTY. 

I  once  saw  a  miniature  stage  upon 
which  toy  men  and  women  were  players. 
They  represented  kings  and  queens,  nobles 
and  soldiers  and  peasants.  They  moved  as 
of  their  own  will,  and  plotted  and  fought  as 
their  historical  originals  had  done.  There 
were  also  voices  which  seemed  to  come  from 
their  lips. 

So  much  could  be  seen  from  the  front. 
But  there  were  two  sides  to  the  stage. 
From  the  rear  I  saw  that  what  seemed 
the  acts  of  many  players  were  the  acts  of 
one  man;  and  what  seemed  the  voices  of 
many  speakers  were  one  voice.  There  was 
a  power  behind'  the  throne  and  behind 
the  peasant's  stool.  By  means  of  wires, 
skillfully  laid  and  worked,  one  man  played 
the  play. 

Here,  I  thought,  ia  a  representation  of 
God's  sovereignty.  Men  read  biography 
and  history,  and  study  the  course  of  na- 
ture, as  I  witnessed  this  performance. 
They  see  from  the  front,  and  do  not  know 
the  power  which  holds  the  hearts  of  kings 

(33) 


34  Applied  Theology. 

and  of  common  men,  and,  all  unseen, 
"turns  them  as  the  rivers  of  water."  The 
devout  student  will  go  behind  the  scenes. 
He  will  note  effects  and  their  causes;  the 
rising  of  the  sun  and  the  power  which 
ordained  it;  the  fall  of  empires,  and  the 
reasons  of  their  fall.  He  will  weigh  the 
acts  of  men  as  free,  responsible  actors,  and 
yet  see  in  their  success  or  failure  the  con- 
trolling hand  of  God. 

At  one  point  the  illustration  from  the 
miniature  stage  fails.  Men  are  not  mere 
puppets,  moved  by  wires,  but  intelligent 
beings,  having  the  power  of  choice;  influ- 
enced by  motives  and  responsible  for  doing 
or  refusing  to  do  what  God  commands. 
Indeed,  at  this  point  any  illustration  will 
fail,  for  just  here  is  a  mystery  too  deep 
for  human  understanding.  We  know  that 
God  is  sovereign.  He  could  not  be  God 
and  be-  anything  less.  A  being  infinite, 
eternal  and  unchangeable  in  his  wisdom, 
power,  holiness,  justice,  goodness  ana 
truth,  the  maker  of  all  things,  must  be 
the  lord  of  all  things.  At  the  same  time 
we  krow  that  man  is  free  to  choose  good 
or  evil;  to  do  right  or  to  do  wrong. 

How  are  these  apparently  contrary  facts 
to  be  reconciled?     How  are  we  to  explain 


Divine  (:iovereignty.  35 

the  existence  of  sin  and  suffering?  God 
is  holy  and  sovereign,  and  yet  man  is  a 
sinner.  God  is  merciful,  and  yet  man 
.suffers.  God  decrees,  and  yet  man  chooses 
for  himself.  We  can  not  reconcile  these 
things,  and  are  not  called  upon  to  do  so. 
If  Christ,  the  Captain  of  our  salvation, 
"was  made  perfect  through  suffering," 
who  can  tell  the  part  which  sorrow  plays 
in  our  spiritual  education?  Temptation 
may  be  a  means  of  blessing.  Warfare  with 
sin  may  give  one  a  conception,  impossible 
v/ithout  it,  of  the  holiness  of  God.  Th<^ 
trial  of  faith  worketh  patience;  and  im.- 
tience,  experience;  and  experience,  hope. 
Gold  is  purified  by  the  refiner's  fire.  So 
God  for  his  own  glory  may  develop  in 
his  people  a  character  higher  and  nobler 
than  that  of  angels  who  have  not  been 
tried.  To  this  end  he  may,  for  a  time, 
permit  that  which  is  hateful  in  his  sight 
We  do  not  know.  We  may  think  upon 
these  things,  but  our  hearts  need  not  be 
troubled  because  we  do  not  understand 
them.  They  belong  to  the  domain  of 
mystery  and  of  faith. 

The  Bible  declares  God's  sovereignty. 
It  represents  him  as  in  all  things  and 
above  all  things;    as  the  ©ne  disposer  of 


36  Applied  Theology. 

events;  by  whom  and  for  whose  glory  all 
things  come  to  pass.  He  was  in  the  be- 
ginning, when  nothing  else  was.  He  mad^. 
and  controls  the  universe.  "He  directeth 
it  under  the  whole  heaven."  Whatsoever 
comes  to  pass  is  according  to  his  decree. 
"He  causeth  it  to  come,  whether  for  cor- 
rection or  for  mercy."  He  governs  men 
as  well  as  things,  and  nations  as  well  as 
men.  By  him  "kings  reign  and  princes 
decree  justice."  He  is  the  King  of  kings. 
"The  Lord  reigneth."  His  is  no  limited 
monarchy,  either  in  extent  or  right.  "He 
removeth  kings  and  setteth  up  kings." 
"He  pulteth  down  one,  and  setteth  up  an- 
other." He  ruleth  "in  the  armies  of  heaven 
and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth." 
Perhaps  this  may  see^ji  strOiig  doctrine, 
but  it  is  mainly  Scripture  language.  The 
Bible  teaches  that  while  men  are  free  and 
responsible  for  their  acts,  God  rules;  that 
he  controls  all  things,  and  that  whatever 
happens  is  with  his  knowledge  and  accord- 
ing to  his  counsel. 

This  doctrine  is  one  of  exceeding  com- 
fort. God's  people  exult  in  it.  "The  Lord 
reigneth;  let  the  earth  rejoice!"  It  means 
the  triumph  of  righteousness  and  the  over- 
throw of  Iniquity;   it  means  the  vindica- 


Divine  Sovereignty.  37 


tion  of  God's  people,  the  security  and  suc- 
cess ot  the  Church,  the  reign  of  order  and 
law  in  the  State,  and  of  temperance,  purity, 
justice,  peace  and  love  everywhere.  He 
who  believes  it  wears  an  armor  which  can 
not  be  pierced;  adversity  will  not  harm 
him;  taunts  will  not  confuse  nor  threats 
disturb  him.  He  can  say  with  Elisha: 
"Greater  is  he  that  is  with  us  than  all 
they  that  be  with  them";  or  with  Paul: 
"If  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us?" 
He  will  have  no  more  fear  of  difficulties 
than  of  dangers.  The  church  which  believes 
and  realizes  it  is  invincible.  Neither  pov- 
erty nor  oppression  can  harm  it.  The 
cross  will  be  the  symbol  of  triumph.  "This 
is  the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world, 
even  your  faith."  All  obstacles  will  disap- 
pear before  absolute  faith  in  the  sover- 
eignty of  God. 


THE  TRINITY. 

There  is  one,  and  only  one,  Ood.  So  the 
Scriptures  assert.  "Hear,  0  Israel:  The 
Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord."  "There  is 
none  other  God  but  one."  These  positive 
statements  are  in  harmony  with  the  whole 
tO'ue  of  inspiration.  God  fills  all  space  and 
is  from  everlasting.  He  made  all  things. 
He  is  supreme.  There  is  no  power,  nor 
life,  nor  effort,  Independent  of  him.  There 
can  be  no  other  God. 

At  the  same  time  the  Scriptures  refer  to 
the  Father  and  to  Christ  and  to  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  such  a  way  as  to  distinguish  be- 
tween them.  The  Father  says:  "This  is 
rny  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased."  The  Son  says:  "I  will  pray  the 
Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another 
Comforter,  even  the  Spirit  of  truth."  The 
Spirit  is  referred  to  as  one  who  shall  not 
spoak  of  himself,  but  shall  take  of  the 
things  of  Christ  and  show  them  to  men- 
He  is  represented  as  teaching,  and  men 
are  represented  as  resisting  or  yielding  to 
him.  The  apostolic  benediction  in  Second 
(38) 


The  Trinity.  89 


Corinthians,  the  basis  of  our  doxologies, 
contains  the  names  of  the  three,  as  does 
also  the  baptismal  fo'rmula  given  by  the 
Master  himself.  There  are  also  frequent 
references  to  them  individually,  in  which, 
now  to  one  and  now  to  another,  are  as- 
cribed the  names,  attributes,  work  and 
praise  of  God. 

At  the  giving  of  the  law,  God  said:  **I 
am  the  Lord  thy  God."  John  declared  that 
Christ,  the  Word,  which  was  made  flesh, 
was  God.  Christ  himself  said:  "I  and  my 
Father  are  one."  The  same  truth  had  been 
announced  In  prophecy.  "Unto  us  a  child 
is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is  given";  "and  his 
name  shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Counselor, 
The  mighty  God,  The  everlasting  Father." 
His  name,  Immanuel,  "God  with  us,"  was 
an  announcement  of  his  deity.  So  was  the 
promise  that  his  name  should  be  called 
"Jehovah  our  righteousness."  The  dis- 
ciples knew  him  as  "God  blessed  forever," 
"the  Almighty,"  the  "King  of  kings  and 
Lord  of  lords,"  and  he  is  divinely  ad- 
dressed: "Thy  throne,  O  God,  is  for  ever 
and  ever!"  In  these  and  numerous  other 
passages  the  names  of  God  are  applied 
to  Christ. 

In  other  passages  the  Holy  Spirit  is  dla- 


40  Applied  Theology. 

tinguished  in  the  same  way.  Some  of  these 
passages  are  obscure,  and  require  com- 
parison of  Scripture  with  Scripture  to 
bring  out  their  force.  Utterances  ascribed 
to  God  in  one  place  are  in  another  as- 
cribed to  the  Holy  Ghost.  One  passage, 
however,  is  so  plain  that  standing  alone 
it  would  sustain  the  doctrine  of  the  deity 
of  the  Spirit.  Peter,  speaking  to  Ananias, 
said:  "Why  hath  Satan  filled  thine  heart 
to  lie  unto  the  Holy  Ghost?  Thou  hast 
not  lied  unto  men,  but  unto  God."  There 
is  also  the  much  disputed  passage  in  First 
John:  "There  are  three  that  bear  record 
in  heaven,  the  Father,  the  Word  and  the 
Holy  Ghost;  and  these  three  are  one." 

The  attributes  and  works  of  God  are  as- 
cribed alike  to  the  Father,  Son  and  Spirit. 
Each  is  spoken  of  as  omniscient,  omnipo- 
tent and  omnipresent.  Each  is  represented 
as  the  Creator.  A  comparison  of  the  first 
chapter  of  Genesis  with  the  first  of  John 
and  the  104th  Psalm  shows  this  clearly. 
"God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth." 
**A11  things  were  made  by  him;"  that  is, 
Christ.  "Thou  sendest  forth  thy  Spirit, 
they  are  created."  These  three  assertions 
can  be  reconciled  only  when  we  accept  the 
truth   that  the   Father,   the  Son  and  the 


The  Trinity.  41 


Spirit  are  one  God.  It  is  just  here  worthy 
of  notice,  though  some  do  not  regard  It 
as  bearing  on  the  question,  that  the  name 
of  God  used  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis 
is  in  the  plural,  and  that  God  is  represent- 
ed as  saying:  "Let  us  make  man  in  our 
own  image."  The  same  plural  form  is  used 
in  the  giving  of  the  law:  "Jehovah,  our 
Elohim,  is  one." 

To  each  of  the  three  is  ascribed  super- 
natural power  for  the  regeneration  and 
sanctification  of  men.  Each  is  to  be  wor- 
shiped and  his  favor  entreated.  The  Book 
of  the  Revelation  is  full  of  praise  to  the 
Son,  who  is  declared  worthy  to  receive 
honor  and  glory  and  blessedness,  even  as 
the  Father  is  worthy.  His  grace  is  in- 
voked in  the  apostolic  benediction,  as  is 
that  of  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Baptism  into  the  name  of  the  three  is  an 
act  of  the  highest  worship,  an  acknowl- 
edgment of  their  deity,  and  a  pledge  of 
service.  The  rejection  of  the  Son  is  de- 
clared to  be  the  rejection  of  the  Father, 
and  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
named  as  the  one  sin  which  has  no  for- 
giveness, either  in  this  world  or  the  next. 

We  freely  admit  that  the  doctrine  of  the 
three  persons  in  one  God  involves  myste- 
U) 


42  Applied  Theology, 

ries  "Which  we  can  not  explain,  but  mys- 
teries are  to  be  expected  when  we  deal 
with  the  infinite.  He  who  tries  to  limit 
God  to  the  finite  measure  of  the  human 
mind,  lacks  the  first  conception  of  his 
character.  Eternity  and  infinity  are  as  in- 
comprehensible as  triunity.  The  thought 
of  a  being  without  beginning  or  end,  or 
any  limitation,  is  as  foreign  to  finite 
thought  as  that  of  the  three  persons  of  the 
Godhead.  The  Bible  is  full  of  mysteries. 
The  incarnation  of  Christ,  the  unity  of  the 
divine  and  the  human,  is  the  great  mystery 
of  godliness;  a  duality  no  less  marvelous 
than  the  trinity.  God's  dealings  in  prov- 
idence are  mysterious.  The  operation  of 
the  Spirit  upon  men's  souls  is  mysterious; 
the  natural  birth  and  the  new  birth,  the 
laws  of  electricity  and  of  light  and  of 
grace,  all  are  mysterious.  Should  we  not 
expect  something  above  and  beyond  us, 
too  deep  and  vast  for  our  understanding, 
in  the  being  who  ordained  these  laws? 
If  we  can  not  understand  his  providence, 
shall  we  stumble  at  his  Word".'  If  all  our 
scientific  study  leaves  us  in  doubt  as  to  the 
operation  of  his  most  familiar  agents,  shall 
we  doubt  because  we  can  not  find  him  out 
to  perfection?     Nay,  rather  let  us  rejoice 


The  Trinity.  43 


that  while  clouds  and  darkness  are  round 
about  him,  righteousness  and  judgment 
are  the  habitation  of  his  throne.  We  can 
not  know  him  to  perfection,  but  we  can 
trust  him  and  serve  him,  and  seek  and  be 
sure  of  his  favor. 

The  doctrine  of  the  trinity,  though  itself 
beyond  our  understanding,  helps  to  make 
real  many  things  in  the  divine  character. 
God  is  a  father.  "Like  as  a  father  pitieth 
his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that 
fear  him."  Christ  as  the  Son  is  not  only 
our  Savior,  but  our  brother,  bone  of  our 
bone,  flesh  of  our  flesh,  heart  of  our  heart, 
and  soul  of  our  soul;  tempted  in  all  points 
like  as  we  are,  and  able  to  succor  us  when 
WG  are  tempted.  The  Spirit  is  an  abiding 
helper  and  teacher  and  comforter.  "God 
with  us"  is  a  reality.  Our  baptism  signi- 
fi.es  and  seals  our  engrafting  to  Christ, 
who  is  one  with  the  Father  and  Spirit. 
The  benediction  which  we  receive  with 
bowed  heads  is  an  assurance  of  our  Fa- 
ther's grace,  our  Savior's  love  and  thfl  all- 
prevailing  help  and  comfort  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 


CREATION. 

Some  things  are  so  certain  that  they  need 
no  proof.  Human  footprints  in  a  desert 
prove  that  some  one  has  walked  there. 
The  prints  could  not  make  themselves  nor 
come  by  accident.  A  house  in  the  desert 
proves  that  a  builder  with  intelligence  and 
skill  has  wrought  there. 

The  relation  of  cause  and  eiTect  is  not 
always  so  apparent  as  in  these  illustra- 
tions, but  the  principle  is  established. 
Every  effect  must  have  a  cause.  A  clock 
proves  a  clock-maker;  a  piano,  a  piano- 
maker;  a  ship,  a  ship-builder.  A  book 
proves  an  author,  a  printer  and  a  manu- 
facturer of  printing  machinery.  A  railway 
with  cara  suited  to  its  track,  and  with 
bridges,  tunnels  and  switches,  proves  not 
a  builder  only  and  a  maker  of  machinery, 
but  a  designer  and  controHinr  mind. 

Philosophers  have  recognized  this  argu- 
ment and  have  sought  the  caune  which  is 
behind  the  universe.  There  must  be  a 
cause.  The  world  did  not  make  itself  nor 
come  by  accident.  The  sun  and  moon  did 
(44) 


Creation.  45 


not  happen  to  be  what  they  are.  Neither 
did  the  law  of  gravitation,  nor  the  law  of 
reproduction  and  growth.  The  adaptation 
of  light  to  the  eyo,  of  air  to  the  lungs  and 
of  food  to  the  body  can  not  be  mere 
chance.  As  a  house  proves  a  builder,  so 
a  world  proves  a  creator.  So  the  evidences 
of  design  in  the  eye  and  in  other  organs, 
and  indeed  in  the  whole  universe,  prove 
a  designer. 

Unaided  philosophy,  however,  though 
recognizing  this  principle  of  causation, 
failed  to  solve  the  problem  of  the  universe. 
It  was  necessary  for  God  to  announce  him- 
self as  the  creator.  The  opening  sentence 
of  the  Bible  is  an  advance  upon  all  the 
possible  results  of  human  scholarship.  It 
Is  a  declaration  that  God,  the  eternal  and 
self-existent,  is  the  first  cause  and  absolute 
author  of  all  things. 

In  the  inspired  narrative  of  creation  im- 
portant facts  are  stated  in  the  fewest  pos- 
sible words,  with  almost  no  rehearsal  of 
details.  These  facts  are  plain  to  the  huEs- 
blest  mind,  while  beyond  them  the  wisest 
can  only  speculate.  Who  shall  attempt  to 
fix  the  date  of  "the  beginning"?  Who  can 
roll  anything  about  it?  We  only  know 
that  in  the  beginning  God  was,  and  that 


46  Applied  Theology. 

he  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth. 
The  strongest  word  which  could  be  selected 
is  used  to  describe  absolute  creation,  the 
making  out  of  nothing  of  all  materials. 

God  did  not  at  once  produce  these  mate- 
rial things  in  finished  forms,  but  simply- 
called  them  into  being.  Some  say  they 
were  star-dust,  filling  immeasurable  space 
and  having  the  potency  of  future  worlds 
and  life.  It  may  be  so;  we  can  not  tell, 
for  the  Scripture  does  not  affirm  it.  It  only 
says  that  God  created  them.  Afterwards 
— we  do  not  know  how  long;  perhaps  im- 
mediately, perhaps  after  myriads  of  years 
— the  earth  assumed  its  separate  identity. 
Even  then,  however,  it  was  not  like  the 
world  to-day.  It  was  without  form,  empty 
and  dark.  Here  some  give  wings  to  fancy, 
claiming  that  certain  changes  were  in 
progress,  and  estimating  the  number  of 
years  required.  They  may  or  may  not  hp» 
correct, — the  Scripture  does  not  say,  anil 
there  is  no  other  authoritative  testimony- 
After  this  came  light,  the  dissipation  of 
vapors  which  enshrouded  the  earth,  the 
separation  of  land  and  water,  vegetation, 
the  sun  and  moon,  fish,  fowl  and  beasts 
of  the  field,  and  last  of  all.  man.  Each 
had  its  time  and  all  were  declared  good. 


Creation.  47 


Here,  again,  some  follow  theories  detail- 
ing the  various  steps,  and  declaring  how 
long  the  evening  and  morning  of  each  day 
mu&t  have  been.  They  may  be  right,  but 
no  man  can  prove  it.  The  word  translated 
"day"  may  mean  a  day  of  twenty-four 
hours,  or  an  indefinite  period.  God  could 
have  made  the  world  in  six  solar  days, 
or  he  could  have  taken  a  longer  time.  We 
need  to  guard  against  the  realistic  spec- 
ulation of  Milton,  which  some  confuse 
with  inspiration,  as  well  as  against  the 
more  scientific  speculation  of  modem 
times.  The  record  is  plain,  and  we  need 
not  go  beyond  it  Mr.  Beecher,  speaking 
of  evolution,  says  that  "an  hypothesis  is 
a  glorious  guess."  All  theories  beyond 
what  is  written  as  to  the  steps  in  creation 
are  guesses,  glorious  possibly,  but  only 
guesses. 

The  crowning  act  of  creation  was  the 
making  of  man,  and  here,  as  at  every  pre- 
ceding step,  we  find  mystery.  We  do  not 
know  the  method  of  Adam's  creation.  Tha 
record  is  that  God  created  man  in  his  own 
image,  that  "the  Lord  God  formed  man  out 
of  the  dust  of  the  ground,  and  breathed 
into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life,  and 
man  became  a  living  soul."    Whether  this 


48  Applied  Theology. 

creation  was  instantaneous,  and  followed 
by  an  immediate  inbreathing  of  divine  life, 
or  whether  God  worked  by  slow,  myste- 
rious processes,  we  do  not  know.  Tho«» 
who  contend  for  any  details  beyond  th« 
record  must  bring  the  proof.  Some  believe 
that  Adam  was  evolved  through  many 
forms  and  myriads  of  years,  and  not  a  t&vr 
Christian  scholars  believe  that  after  such 
evolution  God  breathed  into  the  perfected 
physical  form  the  breath  of  life,  and  that 
man  then  became  man.  All  this  is  hypo- 
thesis or  guessing.  No  one  can  prove  it. 
The  most  its  advocates  can  claim  is  that  it 
seems  to  them  to  explain  some  facts,  that 
it  furnishes  a  working  theory  according 
to  which  investigation  may  proceed,  and 
that  it  does  no  violence  to  the  story  in 
Genesis. 

It  is  wise  to  avoid  positive  assertion* 
which  can  not  be  verified.  The  facts  are 
simple  and  plain.  God  created  the  heaven 
and  the  earth.  He  created  man.  After- 
wards he  created  woman  out  of  man,  and 
the  two  were  given  dominiojL  over  other 
creatures,  and  commanded  to  increase  and 
multiply  and  replenish  the  earth.  All  this 
we  receive  by  faith,  because  God  has  de- 
clared it.     "By  faith  we  understand  that 


Creation.  49 


the  worlds  were  made  by  the  word  of  Grod, 
so  that  things  which  are  made  were  not 
made  of  things  which  do  appear." 

The  study  of  creation  reveals  the  char- 
acter of  the  Creator.  "The  heavens  declare 
the  glory  of  God."  "Day  unto  day  utter- 
eth  speech,  and  night  unto  night  sihoweth 
knowledge."  "The  invisible  things  of  him 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world  are 
clearly  seen,  being  understood  by  the 
things  that  are  made,  even  his  eternal 
power  and  Godhead,  so  that  tbey  are  with- 
out excuse."  The  deity,  power,  wisdom, 
gc-odness  and  justice  of  God  are  sio  miani- 
fest  that  men  who  refuse  to  serve  him, 
and  meet  the  punisliment  of  sin,  can  blame 
no  one  but  themselves. 

The  purpose  of  creation  is  the  divine 
glory— "The  Lord  hath  maxie  all  things  for 
himself" — and  yet  so  identified  is  h,is  glory 
with  the  happiness  of  men  that  all  things 
work  together  for  good  to  those  who  serve 
him.  They  that  glorify  him  shall  enjoy 
him  forever. 


THE  FALL. 

The  Bible  history  of  man  is  that  he  was 
made  in  the  image  of  God;  that  he  was  holy 
and  happy;  that  he  disobeyed  the  command 
of  God;  that  his  nature  was  corrupted,  and 
that  he  lost  communion  with  God,  and  be- 
came a  subject  of  wrath,  liable  to  punish- 
ment, both  in  this  life  and  forever. 

All  this  may  be  said  of  Adam,  the  father 
of  the  race,  and  of  Eve,  the  first  mother, 
individually  and  as  the  representative  of 
their  posterity.  God  placed  them  under 
law,  announcing  in  advance  the  penalty  of 
disobedience.  Eating  of  the  fruit  of  a  cer- 
tain tree  was  made  the  test  of  their  loyalty 
to  their  Creator,  and  death  was  declared  to 
be  the  punishment  of  disobedience. 

We  do  not  know  what  the  tree  of  the 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil  which  stood  in 
the  midst  of  the  Garden  was,  nor  why  the 
particular  command  was  given,  nor  why 
Satan  should  have  been  allowed  in  the  Gar- 
den, nor  even  why  man  should  have  been 
tempted  at  all;  but  the  fact  stands  revealed 
that  Cod,  for  his  own  wise  purposes,  put 
(50) 


The  Fall.  &1 


man  to  a  test,  and  that  man  under  this  test 
failed  and  fell. 

We  do  not  know  how  God  breathed  into 
man  the  breath  of  life,  nor  exactly  what  is 
included  in  the  statement  that  man  was 
"made  in  the  image  of  God,"  but  we  do 
know  that  there  was  a  communication  of 
Hpiritual  life,  and  that  man  was  endued  in 
some  measure  with  the  divine  attributes; 
that  he  was  wise,  pure,  just,  good  and 
true,  and  that  he  had  knowledge  and  power 
to  do  all  that  God  commanded.  He  was 
not  infinite  in  these  attributes,  as  God  is. 
Neither  was  he  unchangeable.  He  was  free 
to  obey  or  disobey,  and  responsible  for  his 
acts.  Disobedience  carried  with  it  its  own 
penalty.  To  eat  was  to  die.  The  first  trans- 
gression was  the  seed  of  death.  In  the  day 
that  they  ate  of  the  fruit  death  began. 
Their  hearts  did  not  then  cease  to  beat, 
for  that  was  not  the  meaning  of  the  words. 
They  died  spiritually.  They  were  no  longer 
holy  and  happy.  Their  bodies  also  partook 
of  the  curse,  and  became  the  prey  of  dis- 
ease. Forces  began  to  operate  which  in 
time  took  them  to  their  graves. 

What  was  true  of  our  first  parents  indi- 
vidually was  true  of  them  in  their  repre- 
t?entative  capacity.     They  sinned  and  suf- 


52  Applied  Theology. 

fered,  not  for  themselves  alone,  but  for 
their  posterity.  It  was  the  law  of  creation 
that  every  living  thing  should  bring  forth 
after  its  own  kind,  and  this  is  still  the  law. 
Diseased  parents  transmit  diseases  to  their 
children,  just  as  they  transmit  various  pe- 
culiarities. No  law  is  more  plainly  written 
In  nature  than  the  law  of  heredity.  It  is 
written  also  in  the  Scriptures:  "In  Adam 
all  die."  "By  one  man's  offense  death 
reigned."  The  father  of  the  race  was  its 
representative  and  federal  head,  and  his 
life  is  perpetuated  in  it.  Whatever  taint 
was  in  his  blood,  whatever  corruption  ruled 
In  his  soul,  rules  in  it.  The  doctrine  of 
original  sin  is  simply  a  theological  state- 
ment of  the  law  of  heredity.  "That  which 
is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh."  That  which 
Is  born  of  sinful  man  is  sinful  man. 

The  fall  of  man  was  complete.  He  did 
not  merely  stumble.  His  act  was  not  one 
whose  effects  he  could  throw  off,  and  from 
which  he  could  recover.  The  line  between 
obedience  and  disobedience  was  clearly 
drawn.  Total  depravity  is  a  harsh  term, 
but  It  expresses  perfectly  the  result  of  the 
fall.  Let  us  be  sure,  however,  that  we  un- 
derstand it.  It  means  not  that  man  is  as 
bad  as  he  can  be,  but  that  he  is  all  bad. 


The  Fall.  53 


His  whole  nature  is  sinful.  A  child  inherit- 
iag  the  results  of  a  father's  sin  may  not 
show  it  in  any  offensive  form,  but  if  its 
blood  is  diseased,  it  is  all  diseased.  The 
blood  is  the  life,  and  corruption  which 
touches  it  is  total  corruption.  The  sin  of 
Adam  poisoned  the  fountain-head  of  hu- 
manity. "All  mankind  descending  from 
him  by  ordinary  generation,  sinned  in  him 
and  fell  with  him  in  his  first  transgres- 
sion." Man  inherits  an  evil  heart,  and 
from  this  come  all  other  evils.  His  nature 
!s  sinful,  and  his  life  is  like  it.  "They  go 
astray  as  soon  as  they  be  born."  They  are 
prone  to  sin  as  the  sparks  are  to  fly  up- 
v/ard.  "There  is  not  a  just  man  upon  the 
«i>arth  that  doeth  good,  and  sinneth  not." 

The  history  of  man  to  this  point  is  a 
s-a.d  history.  "Sin  reigns  unto  death."  The 
whole  race  is  in  the  bondage  of  corruption. 
No  nation  or  tribe  is  free  from  the  taint  of 
the  fall.  The  fact  of  universal  sin  is  proof 
of  the  unity  of  the  race,  though  it  is  not 
the  only  proof.  It  is  easy  for  those  who 
speculate  as  to  the  method  of  creation  to 
go  further  and  assume  different  creations, 
with  different  lines  of  descent  for  different 
races  of  men,  but  such  assumptions  have 
no  basis  of  fact.  The  Scriptures  plainly 
assert  that  God  hath  made  of  one  blood  ail 


54  Applied  Theoloay. 

nations  of  men  for  to  dwell  on  all  the  face 
ot  the  earth,  and  this  is  in  accord  with  sci- 
entific investigation.  The  philological  argu- 
ment which  identifies  great  numbers  of 
words  in  the  primitive  languages  of  the 
new  world  and  of  islands  with  the  words 
from  the  earliest  languages  of  the  Old 
World,  is  conclusive.  So  is  that  from  simi- 
larity of  customs.  So  are  the  physiological 
arguments  based  on  the  similarity  of  all 
races  of  men,  the  positive  differences  be- 
tween the  lowest  races  of  men  and  the 
highest  animals,  and  the  fertility  of  mixed 
races  of  men.  The  race  is  one  in  origin 
and  one  in  the  fall.  The  seed  of  sin,  more- 
over, has  everywhere  developed  into  actual 
transgression.  The  picture  drawn  in  the 
first  chapter  of  Romans  is  a  true  picture. 
There  is  no  child  born  without  the  taint  of 
original  sin,  and  no  man  is  free  from  actual 
transgression. 

This,  however,  is  not  the  end  of  man's 
history.  The  story  of  the  fall  does  not  end 
with  spiritual  death,  but  with  the  promise 
of  redemption.  The  "seed  of  the  woman 
shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head."  The  Bible 
views  man  not  as  a  sinner  only,  but  as  the 
subject  of  salvation.  There  is  a  cure  for 
sin,  a  specific  for  the  taint  of  original  cor- 
ruption.    One  of  our  own  race,  though  not 


The  Fall.  55 


"by  ordinary  generation,"  has  opened  a  way 
of  salvation,  and  we  rejoice  that  as  sin 
abounded,  so  grace  abounds;  that  as  sin 
hath  reigned  unto  death,  even  so  might 
grace  reign  through  righteousness  unto 
eternal  life  by  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

Our  study  of  the  fall  is  a  prelude  to  the 
story  of  redemption.  This  must  be  kept  in 
mind.  It  is  possible  in  the  multitude  of 
riddles  which  may  be  proposed  as  to  the 
origin  of  evil,  and  the  reason  of  our  danger, 
to  forget  that  our  concern  is  with  the  way 
ot  escape.  He  who  is  in  danger  from  fire 
does  not  stop  to  discuss  the  laws  of  com- 
bustion. How  shall  we  escape?  Knowing 
our  danger,  let  us  flee  for  refuge  to  lay  hold 
on  the  hope  set  before  us  in  the  gospel. 
Let  us  be  admonished  also  that  God's  word 
i&  law.  What  he  saith  unto  us,  that  we  are 
to  do.  Every  one  has  his  test.  It  may  be 
the  eating  of  a  forbidden  fruit,  the  gratifi- 
cation of  an  appetite  or  passion  or  ambi- 
tion, the  surrender  of  something  for  which 
we  see  no  reason,  or  possibly  a  succession 
of  trials  and  temptations.  No  matter  what 
the  form  or  the  place,  the  test  is  one  of 
obedience.  The  great  test  is  the  accept- 
ance of  His  mercy  in  Christ.  There  was 
no  hope  for  our  first  parents  except  in  obe- 
dience. There  is  no  salvation  except  in  the 
obedience  of  faith. 


HUMAN  FREEDOM. 

The  words  of  Jesus.  "Ye  will  not  come 
unto  me  that  ye  might  have  life,"  are  true 
of  every  lost  soul.  "Whosoever  will"  may 
be  saved. 

The  doctrine  of  man's  freedom,  of  his 
power  to  choose,  and  of  his  responsibility, 
is  the  doctrine  both  of  the  Bible  and  of 
common  sense.  "Choose  you  this  day 
whom  ye  will  serve."  "Come  unto  me." 
"Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  "Every 
man  is  tem^jted  when  he  is  drawn  away 
gl  his  own  lust  and  enticed."  He  who 
thinks  at  all  knows  that  he  can  choose  the 
right  or  the  wrong.  The  Westminster  Con- 
fession of  Faith,  stating  the  doctrine  of 
God's  sovereignty,  and  that  "he  has  un- 
changeably ordained  whatsoever  comes  to 
pass,"  adds:  "Yet  so  as  thereby  neither 
b:  God  the  author  of  sin,  nor  is  violence 
offered  to  the  will  of  the  creatures,  nor  is 
the  liberty  or  contingency  of  second  causes 
taken  away,  but  rather  established." 

Some  stumble  at  this  statement  They 
(56) 


Human  Freedom.  57 

say  that  if  God  lias  uncliangeably  ordained 
whatsoever  comes  to  pass,  there  can  be  no 
huiT-an  freedom;  that  the  two  are  con- 
tradictions, and  can  not  exist  together. 
Others  more  logical  and  more  Scriptural 
say:  "We  know  that  God  is  sovereign  and 
man  free.  The  Scriptures  declare  both 
doctrines.  We  can  not  believe  in  God  di- 
vested of  his  sovereignty,  and  as  for  our 
freedom  we  are  choosing  and  refusing  all 
the  time.  One  might  as  well  tell  us  that 
we  do  not  see  or  breathe  as  that  we  do 
not  exercise  the  power  of  choice." 

How  then  do  we  reconcile  the  two?  We 
do  not  reconcile  them;  and  are  not  called 
to.  We  simply  admit  that  they  involve 
a  mystery  too  deep  for  us.  Here  again  the 
Westminster  Confession  puts  the  truth 
wisely  when  it  says  that  the  "high  mys- 
tery of  predestination  is  to  be  handled  with 
special  prudence  and  care/'  We  are  not  to 
dogmatize  beyond  what  is  written,  but  in 
humble  dependence  upon  God  to  meet  the 
responsibilities  which  he  has  laid  upon  us. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  church  to  preach 
as  the  apostles  preached,  that  "all  men 
everywhere  should  repent,"  and  turn  to  God 
and  serve  him.  Peter,  on  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost, preached  that  the  deeds  of  men 
(5) 


58  Applied  Theology. 

were  "by  the  determined  counsel  and  fore- 
knowledge of  God,"  and  when  men  asked, 
"What  shall  we  do?"  said,  "Repent  and  be 
baptized."  "And  with  many  other  words 
did  he  testify  and  exhort,  saying.  Save 
yourselves  from  this  untoward  genera- 
tion." Salvation  is  of  God,  and  yet  men 
are  to  save  themselves.  In  his  second 
epistle  he  exhorted,  "Make  your  calling 
and  election  sure."  The  Bibld  abounds  in 
exhortations  to  seek  the  Lord,  to  forsake 
sin,  to  repent  and  believe.  It  declares  God's 
love  for  men,  and  his  will  that  none  per- 
ish, but  that  all  turn  and  live.  The  doc- 
trme  of  election  is  not  inconsistent  with 
these  doctrines,  and  the  church  fails  of  its 
ciuty  if  it  does  not  strive  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel to  every  creature.  No  man  can  plead 
the  doctrine  of  God's  sovereignty  as  a  rea- 
son for  his  own  neglect  of  the  offers  of 
salvation,  or  charge  the  loss  of  his  soul 
to  the  fact  that  he  is  not  one  of  the  elect. 
The  Gospel  message  to  him  is,  "Believe 
and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  Now  is  the  day 
of  salvation.  No  Christian  can  plead  God's 
sovereignty  as  a  reason  for  his  neglect  or 
want  of  zeal.  Christ  said:  "Ye  have  not 
chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen  you  and  or- 
dained   you,    that   ye   should    bring   forth 


Human  Freedom.  59 

fruit.  His  election  is  not  only  to  salva- 
tion, but  to  service.  Believing  ia  the  sov- 
ereignty of  God,  his  duty  is  obedience. 
Knowing  that  his  salvation  is  all  of  grace, 
he  strives  to  grow  in  grace,  and  to  abound 
iD  the  work  of  the  Lord. 


REPROBATION. 

The  word  "reprobation"  means  disap- 
proval or  abandonment,  and  in  theology- 
describes  the  state  of  those  not  chosen  to 
eternal  life.  Another  word,  "pretention," 
describes  these  as  "passed  by,"  or  "left 
out." 

Many  Christians  can  not  believe  that  any 
are  thus  "passed  by"  or  abandoned.  A  min- 
ister in  a  recently  published  sermon  says: 
"The  very  thought  of  any  soul  being  con- 
demned from  all  eternity  shocks  me  inex- 
pressibly." So  it  does  all  good  people,  but 
this  proves  nothin?;  against  the  doctrine. 
The  burning  of  an  excursion  steamer  and 
the  death  of  a  thousand  women  and  chil- 
dren shocks  a  whole  nation.  So  do  many 
mysterious  providences.  The  most  startling 
and  incomprehensible  and  terrifying  things 
may  be  true.  The  doctrine  of  future  pun- 
ishment is  a  fearful  doctrine,  but  the 
"terror  of  the  Lord"  does  not  make  void 
the  truth  of  the  Lord.  The  death  of  good 
people  may  shock  us  even  though  we  know 
that  it  is  well  with  them;  how  much  more 
(60) 


Reprobation.  61 


that  of  men  who  die  in  pin  cursing  God 
and  tempting  an  eternity  of  woe. 

The  doctrine  of  eternal  punishment  is  no 
less  shocking  than  the  doctrine  of  reproba- 
tion. Indeed,  reprobation  and  future  pun- 
ishment are  the  same  doctrine  viewed  from 
different  standpoints.  We  are  creatures  of 
time.  We  see  how  "lust,  when  it  hath  con- 
ceived, bringeth  forth  sin,  and  sin,  when  it 
is  finished,  bringeth  forth  death."  God, 
who  is  yesterday,  to-day  and  forever  the 
same,  sees  this  from  all  eternity.  Con- 
demnation in  the  mind  of  God,  in  the  be- 
ginning, and  at  the  last  judgment,  are  one 
and  the  same,  and  they  are  because  of  sin. 
No  man  is  passed  by  or  condemned  but  for 
his  sin. 

We  must  not  assume  that  God's  decrees 
were  because  of  his  foreknowledge.  The 
apostle  says,  "whom  he  did  foreknow  he 
also  did  predestinate,"  but  this  does  not 
describe  an  order  of  events.  Foreknowl- 
edge and  predestination  are  like  two  spokes 
of  a  wheel — ^both  move  at  the  same  time. 
God  ia  not  a  man  that  he  must  study  and 
weigh  evidence  and  conclude  and  act  on  his 
conclusions.  The  decrees  of  God  and  hi:? 
foreknowledge  include  man's  acts  and  all 
other  influences  and  secondary  causes.   His 


62  Applied  Theology. 

purposes  and  judgments  are  not  arbitrary. 
He  knew  from  all  eternity  how  men  would 
stand  at  the  day  of  judgment.  He  ordained 
from  all  eternity  "what  he  himself  would 
do"  on  the  day  of  judgment.  Everything 
that  he  does  is  from  all  eternity,  and  every- 
thing is  infinitely  wise.  Our  difficulty  in 
the  whole  matter  Is  our  finite  inability  t,o 
comprehend  the  infinite.  We  know  his  pur- 
poses as  they  come  to  pass.  We  may  p^e 
their  reason  in  various  causes  brlnj^lng 
them  about,  or  we  may  not^  They  may 
seem  wise  or  unwise.  It  Is  not  of  man  to 
judge  his  Creator.  "As  the  heavens  are 
higher  than  the  earth,  so  are  my  ways 
higher  than  your  ways,  and  my  thoughts 
than  your  thoughts."  He  is  a  Ood  of  love 
as:  well  as  justice,  and  of  justice  as  well 
as  love. 

God's  decree  hinder??  no  man's  salva- 
tion. There  Is  an  unpardonable  sin,  but 
the  fear  that  one  has  committed  it  should 
not  keep  him  from  Christ.  The  promises 
are,  *'Yea  and  nmen,"  "Whosoever  will,  let 
him  come,"  ''He  that  believeth  shall  bo 
saved."  To  refuse  salvation  because  one 
thinks  he  may  not  be  elected,  or  may 
have  committed  the  unpardonable  sin,  is 
the  most  absurd  folly.  No  man  should 
Ignore  plain   truth  because  other  truth  is 


Reprobation.  6S 


inysteTious.  Tlie  doctrine  of  reprobatiou 
is  mysterious,  but  the  commands,  "Believe 
on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  and  "Preach  the 
Gospel  to  every  creature,"  are  simple. 
Faith,  even  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  is 
of  more  value  than  a  volume  of  specula^ 
tions  as  to  election  or  possible  reproba- 
tion. 


PROVIDENCE. 

The  sparrow  is  small  among  birds  and  of 
little  value;  yet  not  a  sparrow  falls  to  the 
ground  without  God's  care.  Christ  by  this 
thought  illustrates  the  doctrine  of  God's 
providence.  He  who  made  the  birds  cares 
for  them.  He  who  made  man  provides  for 
him.  The  Creator  of  the  universe  upholds 
and  directs  it. 

The  Bible  is  full  of  the  same  truth.  It 
represents  God  as  upholding  all  things  by 
"the  word  of  his  power."  "By  him  all 
things  consist."  He  governs  the  natural 
universe.  He  binds  the  sweet  influences  of 
the  Pleiades,  and  guides  Arcturus  and  his 
sons.  The  earth  revolves  about  the  sun, 
not  only  because  he  started  it  in  its  circle 
ages  ago,  but  because  he  makes  it  revolve. 
He  "commandeth  the  sun."  The  rain  falls 
not  only  in  obedience  to  laws  established 
at  the  beginning,  but  because  "he  sendeth 
his  rain."  He  "saith  to  the  snow.  Be  thou 
upon  the  earth,  and  by  the  breath  of  God 
frost  is  given."  The  fruits  of  the  earth 
grow  by  his  will  and  care.  He  "giveth  the 
(64) 

(97) 


Providence.  65 


increase."  "He  holdeth  our  soul  in  life"; 
"in  whose  hand  is  the  soul  of  every  living 
thing,  and  the  breath  of  all  mankind."  He 
is  the  preserver,  supporter  and  governor  of 
all  things. 

God's  providence  is  as  real  as  his  work 
of  creation.  He  is  the  maker  and  operator 
of  the  iinivprae.  A  poetieal  writer  epeakF" 
of  material  substance  as  the  body,  of  which 
God  is  the  soul;  but  this  is  misleading. 
God  is  in  all  things,  and  at  the  same  time 
apart  from  and  above  all  things.  The  uni- 
verse is  not  his  body,  but  his  creation — the 
product  of  his  wisdom  and  power.  Man  is 
not  a  mere  manifestation  of  his  being,  but 
a  different  being,  produced  by  him,  endued 
with  individuality  and  personal  responsi- 
bility. 

The  universe  is  under  law;  but  the 
changes  which  take  place  are  not  the  arbi- 
trary results  of  law.  God  is  active  In  them. 
He  upholds  his  law.  Its  operations  are 
under  his  care  and  directions.  It  is  the 
method  by  which  he  works.  We  do  not 
know,  and  no  finite  mind  can  know  fully, 
the  secret  of  God's  laws  or  of  his  omni- 
presence and  infinite  eflBciency.  "We  can 
not  explain  the  relation  of  causes  which 
we  see  effecting  results,  to  other  causes 
behind  them,  and  to  God,  the  great  first 


66  Applied  Theology. 

cause;  but  we  know  there  is  a  relation. 
One  looking  upon  machinery  may  trace  the 
power  which  moves  it  through  shafts  and 
belts  to  the  engine,  or  his  search  may  end 
with  a  wire  which  goes  into  the  ground. 
He  knows,  in  one  case  as  well  as  the  other, 
that  there  is  an  engine — a  motor  of  some 
kind,  which  explains  its  motion.  So  we 
know  that  every  effect  has  its  cause,  and 
that  behind  all  the  machinery  of  worlds, 
and  of  society,  and  of  individual  experience, 
there  is  a  great  first  cause. 

We  know  this.  We  can  not  see  all  the 
connections,  or  understand  what  seem  to 
be  contrary  motions.  We  can  not  explain 
the  presence  and  power  of  sin,  or  the  aflHic- 
tions  which  vex  good  people,  or  the  calami- 
ties which  terrify  multitudes;  but  we  know 
that  there  are  explanations,  and  that  back 
of  everything  else  is  the  Intelligence,  power 
and  goodness  of  God.  He  is  "wonderful  In 
counsel  and  excellent  In  working,"  and 
though  his  ways  may  be  mysterious,  he 
does  all  things  well.  Moreover,  in  his  prov- 
idence all  things  work  together  for  good  to 
his  people.  If  we  are  wise,  we  will  not 
waste  time  on  riddles,  but  give  our  best 
thought  to  matters  of  fact  and  duty. 

It  is  a  fact  that  we  are  dependent  upon 


Proviclence.  67 


God's  providence.  In  him  we  live  and  move 
and  have  our  being.  "It  is  not  of  man  that 
walketh,  to  direct  his  steps."  Our  duty  is 
to  recognize  this  dependence,  and  accept 
what  he  gives,  whether  in  blessing  or  prom- 
ise, with  thanksgiving  and  faith.  We  have 
neither  power  nor  wisdom  to  provide  for 
ourselves.  We  can  not  call  the  rain  or  the 
sunshine.  We  plant  and  cultivate,  but  the 
increase  is  of  God.  We  can  not  hold  our 
souls  in  life.  We  can  avail  ourselves  of 
temporal  and  spiritual  gifts  only  as  God 
gives  power  to  accept  them.  One  thing, 
however,  we  can  do;  we  can  trust  in  him. 
When  fortune  is  adverse,  we  think  of  adver- 
sity as  a  means  of  blessing.  The  doctrine 
of  providence  makes  it  possible  to  rejoice 
even  in  tribulation,  knowing  its  fruits.  God 
"remembereth  our  frame."  "He  knoweth 
us  altogether,"  and  he  "doth  not  afRict  for 
naught." 

No  certainty  is  so  strong  as  that  of  faith. 
He  who  depends  upon  himself  and  his  own 
resources  must  fear  failure  and  los.'?,  but  he 
who  depends  upon  one  whose  resources  and 
love  are  infinite  has  no  reason  to  fear. 

God  is  holy,  and  every  act  of  his  provi- 
dence is  holy.  He  is  everywhere  present 
and  everywhere  efficient.  There  is  no  such 
thing  as  chance.     What  seem  to  us  accl- 


68  Applied  Theology. 

dents  are  parts  of  the  diTlne  raaohinerr. 
Even  when  the  lot,  the  symbol  of  chance, 
is  cast  into  the  lap,  "the  whole  disposal  of 
it  is  with  the  Lord."  He  is  infinitely  wise, 
and  nothing  he  sends  can  be  ill  timed  or 
unfortunate.  He  is  all-powerful,  and  his 
providence  can  not  be  anything  but  full 
and  effective.  He  promises  that  it  will  en- 
dure. "While  the  earth  remaineth,  seed- 
time and  harvest,  and  cold  and  heat,  and 
summer  and  winter,  and  day  and  night, 
shall  not  cease."  There  may  be  failures 
here  and  there,  and  distresses,  but  the 
world  is  his,  and  he  will  care  for  it  while  it 
needs  care.  We  are  his  children,  and  he 
is  "mindful"  of  us. 

God's  providence  is  accordance  to  a  plan 
and  In  consistent  pursuance  of  his  eternal 
purpose.  "Known  unto  him  are  all  his 
works,  from  the  foundation  of  the  world." 
Creation  and  providence  are  parts  of  one 
whole.  As  the  Lord  hath  made,  so  he  sus- 
tains all  things  for  himself.  All  his  works 
praise  him.  To  this  end  they  were  created 
and  are  sustained.  The  Lord  hath  made  all 
things  for  himself.  "Let  everything  that 
hath  breath  praise  the  Lord."  This  Is 
man's  chief  end,  his  flrst  duty  and  his  hJgh- 
pst  good. 


SPECIAL  PROVIDENCE. 

A  popular  dictionary  defines  "special 
providence"  as  "the  special  interventioa 
in,  or  adnainistration  of,  the  laws  of  na- 
ture and  life  by  God  for  special  ends,"  and, 
as  an  illustration,  quotes:  "There  is  special 
providence  in  the  fall  of  a  sparrow."  An- 
other defines  it  as  "a  particular  act  of  di- 
vine interposition  in  favor  of  individuals 
for  special  ends." 

The  Scriptures  teach  that  God  "knoweth 
all  the  fowls  of  the  mountain."  His  care  of 
any  one  of  them  is  special  only  as  all  provi- 
dence is  special,  or  as  circumstances  render 
it  specially  noticeable.  So,  in  the  history 
of  men  or  churches  or  nations,  there  are 
deliverances  from  danger  or  supplies  in 
time  of  need,  which  call  for  recognition  and 
thanksgiving,  and  which  may  be  referred 
to  as  special  providence,  but  which  have 
their  place  in  the  established  order  of  the 
divine  care  and  control.  To  us  they  are 
special;  to  God  they  may  be  the  most  ordi- 
nary exercises  of  his  power.  A  certain 
man    never    ceased   to  be    thankful,  and 

(69) 


70  Applied  Theology. 

to  regard  it  a  special  providence  that  a 
shower  of  rain  drove  him  into  a  church 
where  he  was  influenced  to  accept  Christ, 
and  where  he  met  one  who  for  fifty  years 
walked  life's  pathway  with  him.  He  was 
justified  in  his  conviction.  Many  like  him 
have  felt  that  God  dealt  with  them  in  spe- 
cial mercy,  causing  things  to  work  together 
for  their  spiritual  and  temporal  good  in 
marvelous  ways.  Viewed  from  the  human 
side,  life  is  full  of  special  providences — spe- 
cial because  they  come  at  special  times  or 
meet  special  needs.  From  a  higher  stand- 
point every  creature  is  seen  to  be  always 
and  in  every  place  the  object  of  divine 
solicitude  and  help. 

There  is  close  relation  between  the  doc- 
trines of  providence  and  divine  sovereignty. 
All  that  God  does  is  according  to  his  eter- 
nal purpose.  "Known  unto  him  are  all  his 
works  from  the  beginning  of  the  world." 
Every  act,  whether  ordinary  or  special,  haa 
its  place  in  the  divine  plan;  every  sunrise 
and  every  eclipse;  every  danger  and  every 
deliverance;  every  need  and  every  supply. 
There  are  no  accidents  with  hlra,  no  divine 
afterthoughts  to  correct  mistakes.  He  is 
not  the  God  of  the  valleys  only  or  of  the 
hills  alone,  powerful  in  one  place  and  weak 


Special  Providence.  71 

in  another,  or  strong  and  good  at  one  time 
and  not  at  another.  He  is  from  everlasting 
to  everlasting  the  same.  We  take  comfort 
in  the  truth  that  God  is  omnipotent;  that 
he  knoweth  all  our  needs;  that  afflictions 
do  not  spring  out  of  the  ground,  but  are 
sent  in  mercy,  and  that  there  can  be  no 
lack  to  them  that  fear  him.  We  may  in 
confidence  seek  first  his  kingdom  and  right- 
eousness, knowing  that  everything  neces- 
sary to  us  will  be  provided. 

There  is  a  natural  association  between 
the  doctrines  of  providence  and  prayer.  To 
those  who  recognize  God  as  the  source  of 
all  blessing,  nothing  is  more  natural  than 
to  entreat  his  favor.  Daily  mercies  demand 
daily  petition  and  acknowledgment,  while 
special  needs  demand  special  prayer,  their 
supply  special  acknowledgment.  The  peti- 
tion, "Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread," 
is  a  recognition  of  God's  daily  care.  The 
same  petition  offered  in  time  of  poverty  and 
hunger  may  be  answered  in  a  special  pro- 
vision. The  prayer  for  health  offered  every 
day  recognizes  God's  ordinary  providence, 
while  the  same  petition  in  time  of  ship- 
wreck or  sickness  may  be  answered  in  what 
to  us  is  a  special  and  wonderful  deliverance. 

Christians  are  justified  in  special  prayer. 
They  are  to  call  upon  God  in  trouble.    They 


72  Applied  Theology. 

are  to  make  their  requests  known  unto  him. 
When  Peter  was  in  prison  prayer  was  made 
by  the  church  without  ceasing  for  him.  In 
times  of  public  affliction,  or  of  degeneracy, 
or  when  the  Church  longs  for  an  especial 
outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  there  is  rea- 
son for  special  united  prayer.  God  is  ready 
to  send  deliverance  and  bestow  special  bless- 
ings, but  he  "will  be  inquired  of"  to  do  this 
for  us.  The  prayers  of  a  righteous  man 
avail  much  v/ith  him.  The  Apostle  James 
illustrates  this  by  reference  to  Elijah's 
prayer,  first  that  there  might  be  no  rain, 
and  afterwards  that  rain  might  come.  God 
answered  by  withholding  and  afterwards  by 
giving  abundantly. 

The  miracles  of  which  record  is  made  in 
the  Scriptures  were  special  providences. 
The  giving  of  water  and  manna  in  the  wil- 
derness, and  the  feeding  of  five  thousand  by 
our  Savior,  were  for  the  supply  of  special 
needs.  The  deliverances  of  David  from  Saul 
and  of  Peter  from  prison  were  special  mani- 
festations of  divine  care.  The  raising  of 
the  sons  of  the  Shunammite  and  of  the 
widow  of  Nain  were  special  exercises  of 
divine  power.  The  giving  of  the  law  on 
Mt.  Sinai,  and  the  giving  of  the  Bible 
through  holy  men  who  spake  as  they  were 
moved   by   the   Holy   Ghost,    were    special 


Special  Providence.  7S 

providences  in  the  highest  sense.  They 
were  God's  provision  for  the  spiritual  in- 
struction and  government  of  his  people, 
while  the  incarnation,  work,  death  and  res- 
urrection of  Christ  were  the  greatest  of  all 
special  providences.  Sin  is  poverty  and 
helplessness.  It  is  hunger  and  thirst;  it  is 
a  leprosy  and  a  fever,  and  its  end  is  death. 
The  bread  and  water  ©f  life,  the  balm  for 
spiritual  ills,  the  true  riches,  are  things  no 
man  could  secure  for  himself.  God  by  the 
special  gift  of  his  Son  has  supplied  them  to 
all  who  accept  his  bounty.  This  great  pro- 
vision is  the  assurance  of  all  else,  special  or 
ordinary,  which  his  children  require.  If  he 
spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  gave  him,  how 
shall  he  not  with  him  freely  give  us  all 
things? 

What  shall  we  render  unto  the  Lord  for 
all  his  benefits?  We  must  receive  them 
with  thanksgiving.  What  shall  we  render 
for  the  greatest  of  these  benefits,  the  gift 
of  his  Son?  We  will  take  the  cup  of  salva- 
tion; we  will  accept  the  gift;  we  will  call 
upon  his  name;  we  will  pay  our  vows;  we 
will  meet  our  obligations.  This  was  David's 
thought  when  he  meditated  upon  divine 
mercy,  and  it  is  a  thought  which  naturally 
comes  to  all  who  realize  the  providence  of 
God. 
(6) 


74  Applied  Theology. 

God's  providence  is  no  excuse  for  idleness 
or  the  neglect  of  any  duty.  "Trust  in  the 
Lord,  and  do  good."  Faith  and  effort  belong 
together.  God  has  joined  them  and  man 
can  not  put  them  asunder.  He  gives  the 
increase,  but  we  must  plow  and  plant  and 
gather.  He  may  send  food  by  ravens,  but 
one  who  waits  for  what  he  might  earn  will 
suffer. 

As  with  temporal,  so  with  spiritual  pro- 
visions. They  are  conditioned  upon  man's 
diligence.  He  must  take  the  cup  of  salva- 
tion; he  must  lay  hold  on  the  hope  set  be- 
fore him;  he  must  use  the  means  of  grace; 
he  must  search  the  Scriptures,  be  instant 
in  prayer,  and  do  with  his  might  what  his 
hand  finds  to  do.  Neglecting  these,  he  can 
not  expect  the  Spirit  in  some  special  and 
wonderful  way  to  convert  and  sanctify  him 
or  to  use  him  for  the  accomplishment  6t 
any  great  work. 

God's  providences  are  not  to  be  rashly 
interpreted.  Christ  warned  his  disciples 
against  the  common  disposition  to  regard 
aflaictions  as  the  punishment  of  sin,  "Those 
eighteen  upon  whom  the  tower  in  Siloam 
fell  and  slew  them,  think  ye  that  they  were 
sinners  above  all  men  that  dwelt  at  Jeru- 
salem? I  tell  you  nay,  but  except  ye  repent 
ye  shall  all  likewise  perish."    Great  calami- 


Special  Providence.  75 

ties,  affecting  individuals  or  families  or 
nations,  may  be  special  judgments.  It  is 
not  for  us  to  say.  Of  one  thing,  however, 
we  are  sure,  such  providences  are  mani- 
festations of  God's  power  and  warnings  to 
all  who  witness  them.  If  we  ourselves  are 
afflicted,  we  may  esteem  them  special  admo- 
nitions. .Whether  afflicted  or  not,  if  con- 
scious of  sin.  we  are  to  heed  them  as  calls 
to  repentance. 


PROPHECY. 

The  Bible  may  be  likened  to  a  picture 
puzzle  which  can  be  put  together  into  one 
complete  picture,  or  separated  into  many 
parts.  Each  book  is  a  separate  part,  but 
*»ach  so  fits  in  its  place  that  the  wfcol*^  ts* 
a  perfect  work.  The  fact  that  the  parts  flt 
Is  proof  that  they  belong  together.  That 
they  make  a  perfect  whole  is  proof  that 
they  were  intended  to  do  so.  The  various 
shaped  pieces  of  a  picture  do  not  more 
Burely  show  design  and  unity  than  do  the 
parts  of  the  Bible.  Lines  which  cross  dif- 
ferent pieces  of  a  picture  are  not  more 
marked  than  the  lines  which  run  through 
the  different  inspired  books. 

To  Illustrate  this,  take  the  prophecies 
which  refer  to  Nineveh  or  Babylon,  or 
Egypt,  and  place  them  side  by  side  with 
•ubsequent  history;  or  take  the  promises 
made  to  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  touch- 
ing the  land  of  Canaan,  or  to  Moses  touch- 
ing the  future  of  Israel;  or,  better  still, 
take  the  prophecies  of  a  Messiah  and  place 
tliem  beside  the  story  of  their  fulfillment 
(76) 


Prophecy.  77 


in  the  New  Testament.  The  first  book  of 
the  Old  Testament  declares  the  Messiah. 
Like  declarations  are  in  the  Psalms  and 
Prophets.  Moses  and  David  wrote  of 
Christ.  It  was  not  only  necessary  that 
Christ  should  suffer  and  rise  again,  bnt 
"thus  it  was  written."  The  fifty-third  chap- 
ter of  Isaiah  and  the  closini?  chapters  of 
Matthew  are  parts  of  onc-^  BtGr:?.  Bfthlehem 
and  Calvary  and  the  grave  of  the  ri«-h  roan 
and  Bethany  belong  to  the  Old  a.s  well  as 
to  the  New  Testament. 

This  unity  of  Scripture  v/as  the  Savior's 
argument  when  he  talked  with  the  two  by 
the  way,  and  afterward  when  he  met  the 
eleven.  "He  expounded  unto  them  in  all 
the  Scripture  the  thinsrs  concerning  him- 
self." They  read  the  Scriptures  blindly 
until  "He  opened  their  understanding  to 
understand  them."  Then  the  law,  the 
prophets,  the  Psalms  and  the  Master's  life 
were  seen  as  different  volumes  of  one  book; 
or  rather  as  a  mosaic,  every  piece  of  which 
had  its  place  in  the  perfect  work,  P<^t.er,  in 
his  sermon  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and  tn« 
other  disciples  in  their  preaching,  deciar^^d 
the  unity  of  Scripture  as  Christ  de^;!ared  it 
to  them.  "This  is  that  which  was  spoken 
by  the  prophet  Joel."  They  wsicYn^d 
'Christ     which     before     was     preached." 


78  Applied  Theology. 

Stephen  and  Philip  and  Paul  also  spake 
with  the  same  understanding  of  the  ancient 
Scriptures. 

To  read  the  Bible  profitably,  our  eyea 
must  be  opened.  We  must  see  the  connec- 
tion of,  and  be  able  to  fit  together,  the  law, 
the  psalms,  the  prophets,  the  gospels,  the 
epistles  and  the  apocalypse.  The  law  was  a 
schoolmaster  to  bring  us  to  Christ.  David 
spake  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  that 
"his  soul  was  not  left  in  hell."  To  Christ 
"give  all  the  prophets  witness."  The  key- 
note of  inspiration  is  in  the  words  spoken 
to  John  by  the  voice  which  came  out  of 
the  throne:  "The  Testimony  of  .T^sus  is  the 
spirit  of  prophecy." 

Passing  such  general  prophecies  as  simply 
declare  a  Messiah,  among  them  the  prom- 
ises to  Adam  and  Eve,  and  to  Abraham,  we 
note  first  those  which  fix  the  time  of  ap- 
pearing. 

In  Genesis  xlix.,  in  the  blessing  given 
by  Jacob  to  his  sons,  it  is  written:  "The 
scepter  shall  not  depart  from  Judah,  nor  a 
lawgiver  from  between  his  feet,  until  Shiloh 
come."  Shiloh  means  the  Peacemaker,  the 
Prince  of  Peace,  the  Messiah.  The  condi- 
tion of  political  affairs  at  the  time  of 
Christ's  birth  met  this  prophecy.     Jerusa- 


Prophecy.  79 


lem  was  still  the  center  of  a  kingdom. 
Herod  was  a  Jew  and  of  a  Jewish  line,  and 
he  was  king.  Though  the  Roman  power 
had  been  extended  over  the  land,  Israel  had 
not  ceased  to  be  a  nation,  nor  Judah  to  be 
a  tribe  with  a  tribal  scepter.  The  native 
scepter  had  not  passed  away.  The  promise 
was  fulfilled.  The  scepter  did  not  depart  till 
Christ,  the  Shiloh,  came.  Before  Christ's 
death,  however,  it  did  depart,  for  the  land 
became  a  Roman  province,  and  had  a 
Roman  Governor.  Could  any  prophecy  and 
its  fulfillment  dovetail  more  perfectly? 

There  were  also  prophecies  as  to  the  place 
and  circumstances  of  Christ's  birth.  In 
Micah  V.  are  these  words:  "But  thou,  Beth- 
lehem Ephratah,  out  of  thee  shall  he  come 
forth  unto  me  that  is  to  be  ruler  in  Israel, 
whose  goings  forth  have  been  from  of  old, 
from  everlasting." 

Turn  from  this  to  Matthew  ii.  and  read: 
"Now  when  Jesus  was  born  in  Bethlehem 
of  Judea." 

Again  it  was  written:  "There  shall  come 
a  rod  out  of  the  stem  of  Jesse,  and  a  branch 
shall  grow  out  of  his  roots."  This  the  Jews 
understood  to  refer  to  Christ  It  was  ful- 
filled when  Christ  was  born  of  the  seed  of 
David. 

Isaiah  wrote:  "Behold  a  virgin  shall  con- 


so  Applied  Theology. 

ceive  and  bear  a  son.  and  shall  call  his 
name  Immanuel."  Seven  imndred  years 
after  this  the  Lord  appeared  unto  Joseph 
In  a  dream  and  said:  "Fear  not  to  take 
unto  thee  Mary  thy  wife,  for  that  which  ia 
conceived  In  her  is  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And 
she  shall  bring  forth  a  son  and  shall  call 
his  name  Jesus."  Immanuel  and  Jesus  are 
one  and  the  same.  Immanuel  means  "God 
with  us."  Christ  was  with  us  not  only  in 
that  he  lived  upon  our  earth,  but  in  that  ho 
took  our  human  nature.  He  was  both  God 
and  man. 

In  Malachi  iii.  it  was  promised:  "Behold, 
T  send  my  messenger,  and  he  shall  prepare 
the  way  before  me."  Isaiah  also  predicted: 
"The  voice  of  him  that  crieth  in  the  wil- 
derness. Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord." 
Turning  to  Matthew  ill.,  the  fulfillment: 
"In  those  days  came  John  the  Baptist, 
preaching  in  the  wilderness.  For  this  Ir 
be  that  was  spoken  of  by  tJhe  prophet 
Esaias,  saying.  The  voice  of  one  cryina;  in 
the  wilderness,  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the 
Lord." 

Here,  however,  we  meet  a  difficulty  which 
troubled  the  pious  interpreters  of  prophecy. 
Bethlehem  had  been  fixed  as  Christ's  birth- 
place, and  yet  there  were  prophecies  which 
led   many  to   think   he  would   be  bom  in 


Prophecy.  81 


Egypt.  Hosea  wrote:  "I  called  my  son 
out  of  Egypt."  Turning  again  to  Matthew, 
we  read  that  after  the  visit  of  the  wl^e 
men,  "The  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to 
Joseph  in  a  dream,  saying.  Arise,  and  take 
the  young  child  and  his  mother,  and  fiee 
into  Egypt."  "And  he  was  there  until  th» 
death  of  Herod,  that  It  might  be  fulfillod 
which  was  spoken  of  the  Lord  by  tb^^ 
prophet,  Out  of  Egypt  have  I  called  my 
son." 

There  was  a  prophecy  also  that  "the 
child  should  be  called  a  Nazarene."  and 
some  looked  on  Nazareth  as  the  place  of 
promise.  This  was  fulfilled.  When  Joseph 
returned  from  Egypt  "He  came  and  dwelt 
in  a  city  called  Nazareth,  that  it  might 
be  fulfilled  v/hich  was  spoken  by  the 
prophet,  He  shall  be  called  a  Nazarene.'" 

The  prophecies  regarding  Christ's  life 
and  work  are  equally  explicit.  Isaiah  de- 
scribed his  work  in  these  words:  "Then  the 
eyes  of  the  blind  shall  be  opened  and  the 
ears  of  the  deaf  shall  be  unstopped;  then 
shall  the  lame  man  leap  as  a  hart,  and  the 
tongue  of  the  dumb  sing." 

Matthew  records  the  visit  of  Ji)hn's  di^i• 
ciples  to  Jesus,  and  says:  "In  rhat  same 
hour  he  cured  many  of  their  iafirmities 
and  plagues,  and   of  evil   spirits,  and  to 


82  Applied  Theology. 

many  that  were  blind  he  gave  sight."  Then 
Jesus,  answering,  said  unto  them:  "Go 
your  way,  and  tell  John  what  things  ye 
have  seen  and  heard — how  that  the  blind 
see,  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed, 
the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised,  to  the 
poor  the  Gospel  is  preached."  In  connec- 
tion with  the  same  prophecy  read  also  from 
almost  any  chapter  of  the  Gospel  how 
Christ  healed  the  blind,  deaf,  dumb,  lame 
and  diseased. 

The  prophecies  respecting  Christ's  death 
and  their  fulfillment  are  no  less  marked. 
Note  the  following  from  Isaiah  liii.  with 
the  story  of  their  fulfillment,  from  the 
New  Testament,  chiefly  from  the  Gospel  of 
Matthew: 

"He  is  despised  and  rejected  of  men." 
"Pilate  said  unto  them.  What  shall  I  do 
then  with  Jesus  which  is  called  Christ? 
They  all  say  unto  him,  Let  him  be  crucified." 

"A  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with 
grief."  "And  Jesus  said.  My  soul  is  exceed- 
ing sorrowful  even  unto  death."  "If  it  be 
possible  let  this  cup  pass." 

"We  hid  as  it  were  our  faces  from  him." 
"Then  all  the  disciples  forsook  him  and 
fled." 

"He  was  despised."    "And  they  did  spit 


Frophecy.  83 


iu  his  face  and  buffeted  tilm,  saying 
Prophesy." 

"He  was  oppressed  and  he  was  afflicted, 
yet  he  opened  not  his  mouth."  "And  the 
chief  priests  accused  him  of  many  things, 
but  he  answered  nothing"  (Mark  xv.  3). 

"He  was  taken  from  prison  and  from 
judgment."  "Pilate  said,  I  find  no  fault 
with  him."    Yet  he  gave  sentence  of  death, 

"He  was  numbered  with  transgressors." 
"There  were  also  two  thieves  crucified  with 
him." 

"And  he  made  his  grave  with  the  wicked 
and  with  the  rich  in  his  death."  "There 
came  a  rich  man  of  Arimathea  named 
Joseph  and  begged  the  body  of  Jesus  .  .  . 
and  laid  it  in  his  own  new  tomb." 

We  might  make  similar  comparison  of 
the  Psalms  and  the  Gospels.  "Thou  wilt 
not  leave  my  soul  in  hell ;  neither  wilt  thou 
suffer  thine  holy  one  to  see  corruption" 
(Psa.  xvi.  10).  This  was  a  promise  of  the 
resurrection.  Peter  so  applies  it  in  the 
second  chapter  of  Acts. 

Psalm  xxii.  is  particularly  a  prophecy  of 
the  crucifixion.  It  reads:  "All  they  that 
see  me  laugh  me  to  scorn;  they  shoot  out 
the  lip,  they  shake  the  head,  saying,  He 
trusted  on  the  Lord  that  he  would  deliver 
him:  let  him  deliver  him,  seeing  he  delight- 


84  Applied  Theology. 

eth  In  him."  Turn  now  to  the  New  Tes- 
tament: "Likewise  also  the  chief  priests, 
mocking  him,  with  the  elders,  said,  He 
saved  others,  himself  he  can  not  save.  He 
trusted  God,  let  him  deliver  him"  (Matt, 
xxvii.  41). 

Other  verses  might  he  quoted  and  their 
fulfillment  found  in  the  Gospels:  "I  am 
poured  out  like  water."  "All  my  bones  are 
out  of  joint."  "They  pierced  my  hands  and 
my  feet."  "They  parted  my  garments  and 
cast  lots  upon  my  vesture."  These  were  all 
prophecies  written  centuries  before  Christ, 
but  they  read  like  a  history  of  the  cruci- 
fixion. 

Prophecies  in  regard  to  Christ's  exalta- 
tion are  equally  abundant:  "He  shall  see 
of  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  shall  be  satis- 
fied." "He  shall  be  exalted  and  be  very 
high."  As  a  response  to  such  prophecies 
Paul  wrote:  "Wherefore  God  also  hath 
highly  exalted  him." 

The  same  truth  is  set  forth  in  the  Rev- 
elation. The  angel  who  declares  things 
which  are  to  be,  commences  the  accomplish- 
ment of  all  prophecy  when  he  says:  "The 
kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become  the 
kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ." 

As  the  testimony  of  Jesus  is  the  spirit 
of  prophecy,  it  should  be  the  spirit  of  all 


Prophecy.  85 


Christian  teaching  as  well  as  of  Christian 
lives.  What  grander  theme  is  there  than 
that  upon  which  the  whole  Bible  is  written? 
Paul  desired  to  know  nothing  but  Christ 
and  him  crucified.  There  are  interpreters 
who  count  the  years  of  Daniel,  and  identify 
the  beasts  of  the  Revelation.  They  find  all 
manner  of  modern  things  in  the  Bible 
prophecies — the  Pope,  the  Suez  Canal,  the 
United  States,  etc.  They  may  be  right  or 
wrong,  but  this  we  know,  they  miss  the 
central  truth.  The  testimony  of  Jesus  is 
the  heart  of  the  Bible.  Jesus,  born  accord- 
ing to  promise,  crucified,  dead  and  buried, 
raised  from  the  dead  and  exalted,  to  be  a 
Prince  and  Savior. 


SPIRITUAL   VISION. 

A  writer  calls  the  Bible  "an  unrivaled 
collection  of  classics,"  of  which  "pious, 
credulous  souls  make  an  oracle."  He  has 
not  grown  superstitious,  but  would  be  "sec- 
ond to  none  in  asserting  the  great  literary, 
historical  and  philosophical  value  of  the 
Scriptures."  He  would  give  them  a  place 
among  the  greatest  writings  of  all  ages. 

His  words  call  to  mind  an  old  story. 
Hodge  was  an  English  peasant,  who  worked 
till  40  years  old  in  the  mill  where  his 
fathers  had  worked  before  him.  Being 
proud  of  England's  greatness,  he  was 
anxious  to  see  the  sea;  and  so,  after  much 
preparation,  journeyed  to  Brighton.  He 
was  disappointed.  The  sea  was  no  great 
matter.  He  told  his  neighbors  how  he 
reached  Brighton  at  night,  and  went  at 
once  to  the  dock  and  found  some  stone 
steps,  and  went  to  the  water  and  peered 
into  it.  "And  thur  wur  ncth'n  uv  it; 
t'wur  just  loike  our  millpond  when  yo  go 
afore  mornin'  to  turn  on  the  water!" 

Paul  eays:  "The  natural  jr;ian  receiveth 
not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God,"  for 
(86) 


Spiritual  Vision. 


"they  are  spiritually  discerned."  The  Bible 
is  an  ocean  to  him.  whose  eyes  are  opened, 
but  to  him  that  walketh  in  darkness  it  may 
seem  a  pond,  valuable  only  as  it  furnishesf 
a  stream  to  his  literary  or  historical  mill. 
Many  Christians  study  the  Bible  by  very 
dim  li^t.  Want  of  faith,  or  a  sinful  life, 
clouds  their  vision.  God's  Word  is  as  the 
ocea^n  in  a  fog,  except  that  the  fog  is  on 
their  hearts,  and  not  on  the  Word.  We 
nay  all  pray  the  prayer  of  the  Psalmist: 
"Open  thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may  behold 
v/ondrou®  things  out  of  thy  law." 


MIRACLES. 

When  the  Jews  asked  Jesus,  "What  sign 
showest  thou,  seeing  thou  doest  these 
things?"  they  voiced  the  feeling  of  human- 
ity in  all  ages  that  the  man  who  claim.s  t© 
speak  with  divine  authority  must  show  his 
credentials.  When  Moses  appeared  before 
Pharaoh  he  showed  signs  or  performed 
miracles.  Joshua  and  Elijah  and  other 
prophets  and  leaders  gave  like  proof  thnt 
they  were  sent  of  God. 

Christ  claimed  that  miracles  proved  his 
Messiahship.  "Believe  me,"  he  said,  "for 
the  very  works'  sake."  And  again:  "If  I 
had  not  done  among  them  the  works  which 
none  other  man  did.  they  had  not  had  sin." 
His  judgment  was  that  those  who,  after  his 
miracles,  did  not  believe  in  him,  had  sinned 
both  against  him  and  his  Father. 

The  apostles  rested  Christ's  Messiahship 
on  his  miracles.  Peter  said:  "Jesus  of  Naz- 
areth, a  man  approved  of  God  among  you 
by  miracles  and  wonders  and  signs  which 
God  did  by  him  in  the  midst  of  you,  as 
(88) 


Miracles.  89 


ye  yourselves  also  know."  He  appealed  to 
common  knowledge  and  conviction.  Early 
in  Christ's  ministry  Nicodemus  said:  "No 
man  can  do  these  miracles  which  thou 
doest  except  God  be  with  him."  And  the 
record  is  that  many  "believed  on  his  name 
when  they  saw  the  miracles  which  he  did." 

Infidelity  has  viciously  assailed  the  doc- 
trine of  miracles.  It  claims  that  a  miracle 
is  contrary  to  natural  law,  and  therefore 
impossible.  Christianity,  on  the  other  hand, 
holds  that  "with  God  all  things  are  pos- 
sible," and  that  as  to  natural  law,  we  know 
very  little  of  it.  Advanced  science  only 
touches  its  surface.  Every  now  and  then 
a  great  discovery  forces  changes  in  our 
interpretation  of  it. 

Christ's  miracles  were  not  seriously  dis- 
puted during  his  lifetime.  Some  charged 
tlm  with  deceiving  the  people,  but  they 
could  not  deny  his  works.  The  raising  of 
Lazarus  was  seen  by  too  many  people.  The 
feeding  of  five  thousand  could  not  be  denied. 
Even  as  Paul  declared  of  the  resurrection: 
"This  thing  was  not  done  in  a  corner," 
Christ's  enemies  did  not  deny  his  miracles. 
"This  man  doeth  many  miracles."  The 
worst   they   oould   say   was:    "He   casteth 


(7) 


90  Applied  Theology. 

out  devils  through  Beelzebub,  the  prince  of 
devils."  The  explanation  was  an  acknowl- 
edgment. 

Some  in  our  day  think  to  serve  Chris- 
tianity and  make  it  more  plausible  by  elim- 
inating the  supernatural,  or  at  least  by 
finding  natural  explanations  of  miracles. 
They  suppose  that  the  Red  Sea  was  simply 
driven  back  by  "a  strong  east  wind";  that 
manna  was  only  a  seed  blown  from  trees 
or  grass;  that  when  Moses  smote  the  rock 
he  happened  to  strike  a  spring,  and  that 
many  of  Christ's  works  were  the  result 
of  personal  magnetism  or  other  natural 
causes.  This  is  not  the  Scripture  method. 
Moreover,  it  ignores  the  object  for  which 
miracles  were  given.  They  were  God's  tes- 
timony to  those  who  performed  them. 

That  some  miracles  may  be  explained 
by  natural  laws  does  not  make  them  less 
miraculous.  The  "strong  east  wind"  sent 
by  the  Lord  at  the  time  his  people  were 
ready  to  cross  the  sea  was  his  interpo- 
sition in  their  behalf.  Moreover,  some  mir- 
acles can  not  be  so  accounted  for.  If  they 
are  according  to  any  natural  law,  it  is 
hidden  from  us.  The  wise  plan  is  to  ac- 
knowledge the  power  of  God  and  his  testi- 
mony to  his  messengers.     Let  one  satisfy 


Miracles.  91 


himself  that  God  is  infinite  in  wisdom  and 
power,  and  the  matter  of  miracles  involves 
no  difficulty. 

Christ  did  not  always  perform  miracles 
when  challenged  to  do  so.  On  one  occasion 
he  refused,  referring  his  challengers  to  the 
sign  of  Jonas  the  prophet,  and  on  another 
he  simply  said:  "Destroy  this  temple  and 
in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up,"  referring 
in  each  case  to  the  great  crowning  miracle 
01  his  own  resurrection  from  the  dead — a 
miracle  which  stands  as  God's  testimony 
to  his  deity  and  redemptive  work. 

The  question  is  som.etimes  asked  v/hether 
holy  men  may  not  still  have  power  to  work 
miracles  for  the  beaefit  of  the  church  or  of 
particular  people.  The  answer  is  in  the 
words  of  John,  who,  speaking  of  signs  and 
v/onders  which  Jesus  did,  says:  "These  are 
written  that  ye  might  believe  that  Jesus  is 
the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  and  that,  be- 
lieving, ye  might  have  life  through  his 
name."  The  purpose  of  miracles  was  to 
identify  the  prophets  who  testified  of  a 
Messiah  to  come,  and  Christ  himself,  and 
the  apostles.  This  purpose  has  been  ac- 
complished. There  is  no  reason  why  any 
one  should  doubt  Christ's  deity,  atonement 
or   power   to   save,   and   therefore   further 


92  Applied  Theology. 

miracles  are  unnecessary.  "When  the  rich 
man  in  torment  asked  that  Lazarus  might 
De  sent  to  his  brethren  to  warn  them,  Abra- 
ham replied:  "If  they  hear  not  Moses  and 
the  prophets,  neither  would  they  be  per- 
suaded though  one  rose  from  the  dead." 
So  if  men  will  not  be  convinced  by  the 
proof  already  given,  they  can  not  be  con- 
vinced by  any  proof. 

No  man  can  say,  of  course,  that  there 
will  be  no  more  miracles,  for  no  man  knows 
all  the  secrets  of  the  Almighty;  but  so  long 
as  this  dispensation  lasts  there  is  no  reason 
to  expect  them. 


"THE  LOGOS." 

The  opening  words  of  the  Gospel  of  John 
were  a  startling  declaration  to  thinkers 
of  the  time.  In  them  the  gospel  asserts 
itself,  not  as  the  story  of  uneducated,  en- 
thusiastic men,  but  as  a  well-grounded  phi- 
losophy. The  "Logos,"  or,  as  we  translate 
it,  "The  Word,"  was  a  philosophical  term. 
It  meant  the  divine  intelligence,  or  wisdom, 
or  reason,  or,  perhaps  better,  the  sum  of 
all  truth.  This  "Logos"  John  declared  had 
been  "made  flesh"  and  dwelt  with  men. 
We  can  better  realize  the  force  of  his  words 
if  we  put  ourselves  in  his  place,  studying 
the  condition  of  things  before  "the  Wor;! 
was  made  flesh,"  the  extent  of  man's  knowl- 
edge, the  character  of  his  worship,  and  his 
hope  for  the  future. 

The  world  never  was  without  a  religion. 
Man  knows  without  teaching  that  there  is 
a  God,  and  that  he  is  entitled  to  worship. 
"The  heavens  declare  his  glory,  and  the 
firmament  showeth  his  handiwork."  Some 
have  more  of  the  religious  instinct  thais 
others,  but  all  have  written  in  their  nature 
enough  knowledge  of  God  and  of  his  law 

(93) 


94  Applied  Theology. 

to  render  them  responsible  for  sin.  Natu- 
rally, therefore,  they  seek  to  find  out  about 
and  to  propitiate  God.  Read  the  proof  of 
this  in  the  history  of  heathen  nations.  In. 
their  incantations  and  sacrifices,  efforts  to 
win  the  favor  of  their  deities.  Read  it  also 
in  the  history  of  Philosophy,  in  strivings 
to  find  out  the  truth,  in  theories  and  sys- 
tems, the  expression  of  hope  and  disap- 
pointment. Man  has  always  been  feeling 
after  God  and  after  future  happiness,  if 
haply  he  might  find  them.  Nature  is  an 
oracle  to  which  he  puts  his  questions.  Is 
there  a  Cod?  She  answers  Yes!  Will  he 
punish  sin?  Yes!  Has  he  no  mercy?  Is 
there  any  hope?  She  is  dumb.  Man  stands 
as  the  modern  Egyptian  stands  before  the 
Sphinx  or  the  great  pyramid.  He  may 
wonder  and  speculate,  and  hope  and  de- 
spair, but  there  is  no  answer.  He  knows 
that  there  is  a  secret  locked  in  the  stone, 
but  he  can  not  find  it  out.  So  he  knows 
there  is  a  divine  intelligence,  the  secret  of 
truth  and  life,  but  he  can  not  lay  hold  of  it 
His  philosophy  is  baffled,  and  his  worship 
that  of  an  unknown  God. 

At  this  crisis  comes  the  gospel,  with  its 
declaration:  "The  Word  was  made  flesh, 
and  dwelt  among  us."  God  has  revealed 
himself.     The  divine   intelligence   has  ex- 


The  Logos. 


preesed  itself  In  language,  or  as  John  has  it, 
in  a  "Word,"  which  may  be  seen  and  heard 
and  understood,  and  in  which  are  mani- 
fest the  glory,  the  grace  and  truth  of  God. 
The  first  statement  of  the  chapter  could  not 
fail  to  arrest  the  attention  of  all  interested 
in  the  search  for  truth.  "In  the  beginning 
was  the  Word."  That  is:  This  Logos,  this 
truth,  whch  all  men  seek^  is  from  everlast- 
ing. Solomon  had  declared  substantially 
the  same  thing  in  the  eighth  chapter  of 
Proverbs,  where  Wisdom  describes  herself 
as  "with  God"  before  the  creation,  as  "one 
brought  up  with  him,"  and  "daily  his  de- 
light." 

We  might  stop  here  to  speak  of  the 
unchangeableness  of  truth.  Philosophies 
change,  but  the  one  object  of  philosophy, 
the  Logos,  the  truth,  is  always  the  same. 
Right  and  wrong  are  not  mere  accidents, 
the  result  of  human  regulation.  They  are 
eternal  and  unchangeable.  They  are  the 
sanctions  of  God,  and  were  in  the  begin- 
ning. The  foundation  of  all  truth  and  of 
all  moral  obligation  is  God's  will.  This 
was  an  advance  upon  the  philosophy  of 
John's  time.  Solomon  had,  indeed,  given 
Wisdom  a  personality  and  associated  it 
with  God,  but  John,  by  a  bold  stroke,  an- 
nounced the  deity  of  the  "Word."     He  put 


96  Applied  Theology. 

before  men  the  Logos,  or  sum  of  truth,  for 
which  they  had  striven,  as  not  only  asso- 
ciated with  God.  but  itself  divine.  "The 
Word  was  God." 

Some  writers  find  in  this  simply  a  poetic 
statement  equal  to  the  phrase,  "Wisdom  is 
divine."  We  prefer  to  read  the  words  as 
the  assertion  that  all  truth  and  all  wisdom 
and  all  right  are  to  be  traced  back  to,  and 
are  embodied  in,  a  person,  and  that  person 
is  God. 

All  the  attempts  of  the  old  philosophers 
to  find  out  the  truth,  or  the  greatest  good, 
were  the  search  after  God — a  search  which 
could  only  end  in  failure  unless  God  re^ 
vealed  himself.  John's  declaration  was 
that  God  has  made  such  a  revelation.  The 
Word,  the  sum  of  all  truth,  had  become 
flesh,  and  dwelt  with  men. 

Words  are  the  expression  of  thou^t. 
"The  Word"  was  the  expression  of  God's 
thoughts,  of  his  character  and  purpose  for 
the  salvation  of  men.  Christ,  the  Word 
made  flesh,  was  the  manifestation  of  the 
Father's  glory  and  the  express  image  of 
his  person.  At  Christ's  birth  the  scales 
dropped  from  the  eyes  of  our  humanity. 
Worship  was  no  longer  ignorant  devotion, 
for   the   answer   to   man's  yearning   after 


The  Logos.  »7 


truth  was  come.  He  bowed  no  longer  to 
a  sphinx,  but  to  a  God  able  and  willing  to 
hear  and  bless.  As  a  recent  writer  has 
said,  "Natural  religion  is  the  worship  of 
an  eternal  silence,  but  Christianity  is  the 
worship  of  an  eternal  Word." 


ATONEMENT. 

It  is  true  of  Christ  in  a  profounder 
sense  than  of  other  men  that  he  "was  born 
to  die."  His  death  was  the  reason  of  his 
birth.  He  came  of  his  own  will  to  do  a 
work  which  involved  his  death.  As  the 
time  drew  near  he  prayed,  "Father,  save 
me  from  this  hour,"  and  added,  "For  this 
cause  came  T  unto  this  hour."  During  his 
trial,  knowing  what  death  he  should  die, 
he  said,  "To  this  end  was  I  born,  and  for 
this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I 
should  bear  witness  unto  the  truth." 

Then  followed  the  acquittal,  "I  find  no 
fault  in  him";  the  demand  that  he  be 
crucified;  the  scourging;  the  crown  of 
thorns;  the  mocking  and  contempt;  the 
cross;  the  nails  and  the  spear;  and  then 
the  cry,  "It  is  finished;  Father,  into  thy 
hands  I  commit  my  spirit." 

Why  did  he  die?  He  could  have  called 
twelve  legions  cf  angels,  and  even  the  one 
angel  who  rolled  back  the  stone  from  the 
door  of  the  sepuicher  could  have  blinded 
and  dismayed  his?  persecutors.  It  was 
(98) 


Atonement.  99 


necessary  that  he  should  die.  "Thus  it  is 
written,  and  thus  it  behooved  Christ  to 
suffer,  and  to  rise  from  the  dead  the  third 
day,  and  that  repentance  and  remission  of 
sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name."  "The 
wages  of  sin  is  death,"  and  man  haid 
sinned.  'Without  the  shedding  of  blood 
there  is  no  remission  of  sins."  Man  could 
not  save  himself.  If  salvation  was  to  be 
secured,  God  himself  must  secure  it.  "When 
there  was  no  eye  to  pity  and  no  arm  to 
save,  God  pitied  and  his  arm  brought  sal- 
vation." "God  so  loved  the  world  that  he 
gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whoso- 
ever believeth  in  him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  everlasting  life."  Christ  so  loved 
the  world  as  to  die  for  it.  The  punish- 
ment which  men  could  not  bear  he  bore 
for  them.  "  He  was  crucified  for  our 
offenses."  He  himself  bore  our  sins  in 
his  own  body  upon  the  tree.  "We  are 
justified  by  his  blood."  "By  the  obedience 
of  one  shall  many  be  made  rig'hteous." 
Christ  gave  "himself  a  ransom  for  us  all." 
"He  became  sin  for  us  who  knew  no 
sin."  "He  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of 
the  law,  being  made  a  curse  for  us."  "He 
is  the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness  for 
every  one  that  believeth."     The  only  ex- 


100  Applied  Theology. 

planation  of  Christ's  death  which  meets 
the  language  of  Scripture  and  the  neces- 
sities of  men  is  that  he  died  as  the  sin- 
ner's substitute.  He  was  wounded  for  our 
transgressions.  Ho  was  bruised  for  our 
iniquities.  The  chastisement  of  our  peace 
was  upon  him,  and  by  his  stripes  we  are 
healed.  "All  we  like  sheep  have  gone 
astray,  and  the  Lord  hath  laid  on  him 
the  iniquity  of  us  all." 

Calvary  was  the  manifestation  of  divine 
love.  It  is  an  object  lesson  for  all  time. 
It  moves  the  hearts  of  men  and  influences 
them  for  good;  but  all  this  avails  noth- 
ing if  there  be  no  sacrifice  for  sin  and  no 
way  of  approach  to  God.  "If  Christ  be 
not  risen,  your  faith  is  vain.  Ye  are  yet 
in  your  sins."  So  if  Christ  did  not  die  for 
our  sins,  "the  just  for  the  unjust,"  we  are 
still  in  our  sins.  If  he  did  not  bear  their 
penalty,  we  must  bear  it.  The  only  hope 
of  humanity  is  in  the  truth  that  he  did 
bear  it,  and  that  whosoever  believeth  in 
him  is  free.  "There  is  therefore  now  no 
condemnation  to  them  which  are  in  Christ 
Jesus."  As  "Abraham  believed  God  and 
it.  was  counted  to  him  for  righteous- 
ness," so  every  man  who  by  faith  accepts 
the  riffhteouanesf     of    Christ    is    counted 


Atonement.  101 


righteous.  The  purpose  of  Christ's  death 
was  that  men  might  be  reconciled  to  God, 
and  made  fit  for  his  presence.  "God  was 
in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  him- 
self, not  imputing  their  trespasses  unto 
them." 

Christ's  part  in  the  salvation  of  men  has 
been  done.  He  has  made  it  possible  for 
God  to  be  just  and  yet  justify  sinners.  This 
"justification  is  an  act  of  God's  free  grace, 
wherein  he  pardoneth  all  our  sins,  and 
accepteth  us  as  righteous  in  his  sight,  only 
for  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  imputed 
to  us,  and  received  by  faith  alone."  This 
receiving  by  faith  is  our  part,  and  it  is 
just  as  necessary  to  salvation  as  that 
which  Christ  has  done.  He  has  secured 
terms  of  reconciliation;  we  must  accept 
thenL  He  has  opened  a  way  of  salvation; 
we  must  walk  in  it. 

Salvation  is  offered  to  all  men.  It  is 
promised  to  those  only  who  believe.  The 
atonement  is  sufiicient  for  the  sins  of  the 
world.  It  is  eflBcient  only  for  those  who  lay 
hold  on  the  hope  set  before  them.  Those 
who  do  not  believe  or  who  neglect  divine 
mercy  are  in  the  v.'^ay  of  death.  "How  shall 
we  escape  if  we  neglect  so  great  salvation?" 

The   crucifixion  of   Christ  is  the  central 


102  Applied  Theology. 

fact  of  history.  We  count  dates  before 
and  after  his  birth  because  his  birth  was 
the  beginning  of  the  chapter  which  ended 
with  his  death.  Prom  the  Fall  men  looked 
forward,  as  we  look  back,  to  the  fullness 
of  time.  God  manifest  in  the  flesh  bear- 
ing the  penalty  of  his  own  law  is  the 
mystery  of  the  ages.  Angels  wonder  at  it. 
We  rejoice  in  it.  With  the  inspired  apostle 
we  '^joy  in  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  by  whom  we  have  now  received  the 
atonement." 

Joy  moreover  begets  love.  "We  love  him 
because  he  first  loved  us  and  because  he 
is  altogether  lovely."  "His  love  constrain- 
eth  us."  As  he  has  died  for  us,  we  will 
die  to  sin  and  live  to  him,  "Let  the  same 
mind  be  in  you  which  was  also  in  Christ 
Jesus."  As  he  came  to  seek  and  save  the 
lost,  we  will  above  all  else  seek  to  make 
known  and  persuade  men  to  accept  his 
salvation. 


THE  RISEN  SAVIOR. 

Faith  in  the  resurrection  is  the  test  of  a 
rising  or  falling  church.  Christ,  when 
asked  for  a  sign  proving  his  authority,  re- 
ferred to  his  rising  from  the  dead.  Dur- 
ing his  ministry  he  taught  his  disciples  the 
details  of  his  hetrayal,  death  and  resurrec- 
tion, saying  of  himself,  "And  the  third  day 
he  shall  rise  again.' 

Such  prophetic  announcements  made 
their  impression  upon  the  disciples.  The 
next  day  after  the  crucifixion  even  "the 
chief  priests  and  Pharisees  came  together 
unto  Pilate,  saying,  Sir,  we  remember  that 
that  deceiver  said  while  he  was  yet  alive. 
After  three  days  I  will  rise  again."  The 
enemies  of  the  Savior  feared  nothing  so 
much  as  his  resurrection;  for,  said  they, 
in  case  he  should  rise,  "the  last  error  shall 
be  worse  than  the  first."  By  the  order 
of  the  Roman  Governor,  who  unconsciously 
served  the  truth,  saying,  "Make  it  as  sure 
as  ye  can,"  a  guard  was  set  and  the  stone 
sealed. 

These    and   other    details    of   the   grea;t 

C 103  ) 


104  Applied  Theology. 

miracle  of  all  history — the  resurrection  of 
Christ — were  given  for  a  purpose:  that  we 
"might  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  God,  and  that  believing,  we  might 
have  life  through  his  name.''  As  to  the 
prophecy  of  the  great  event  of  Christianity, 
there  is  no  question,  either  by  friend  or 
enemy;  and  as  to  the  fact  of  its  fulfillment, 
provision  was  made  for  abundant  testi- 
mony, which  the  pen  of  inspiration  has  put 
on  record,  that  the  Church  of  Christ  in  all 
ages  might  "know  assuredly  that  God  hath 
made  that  same  Jesus  who  was  crucified 
both  Lord  and  Christ." 

In  his  sermon  on  the  day  of  Pentecost, 
Peter,  as  the  spokesman  of  all  the  witness- 
es, declared,  "This  Jesus  hath  God  raised 
up,  whereof  we  all  are  witnesses."  No  bet- 
ter or  stronger  testimony  could  be  asked 
by  reasonable  people.  These  witnesses  fol- 
lowed Jesus  in  adversity,  and  were  un- 
questionably intelligent,  conscientious  and 
competent. 

There  was  no  division  among  them.  He 
was  seen  first  of  the  women  who  came 
early  to  the  tomb.  They  had  known  him 
in  life,  and,  after  some  delay  incident  to 
the  changes  which  had  passed  on  him. 
knew  him  as  their  risen    Lord.     He    was 


The  Risen  Savior.  105 

Known  "in  the  breaking  of  tread"  to  the 
two  disciples  who  met  him  on  the  way  to 
Emmaus.  The  brethren  to  whom  he  ap- 
peared by  the  Sea  of  Tiberias  knew  him, 
and  ate  with  him.  When  the  disciples  ex- 
cept Thomas  saw  him  they  knew  him,  and 
even  Thomas  was  afterward  satisfied,  and 
said,  "My  Lord  and  my  God."  He  appeared 
a  number  of  times,  once  to  "above  five  hun- 
dred brethren"  at  one  time.  This  was 
Paul's  argument,  while  those  who  had 
known  him  were  still  alive.  No  one  ques- 
tioned their  testimony,  and  it  stands  for 
all  time  as  proof  of  the  resurrection. 

The  apostles  handled  this  testimony  re- 
peatedly in  logical  and  invincible  argu- 
ment. The  substance  of  Paul's  preaching 
was  that  "Christ  must  needs  have  risen 
again  from  the  dead";  and  he  does  not  hesi- 
tate to  declare  the  severe  alternative — "And 
if  Christ  be  not  risen,  then  isi  our  preach- 
ing vain,  and  your  faith  is  also  vain." 

This  declaration  goes  to  the  very  center 
of  the  Christian's  hope.  The  precious  as- 
surance of  the  child  of  God  is  that  he  shall 
awake  in  the  likeness  of  Christ;  that  in  his 
flesh  he  shall  look  upon  his  Redeemer; 
that  he  shall  see  Jesus  as  he  is.  The 
resurrection  of    Christ    and    that    of    the 

Christian  stand  together.    They  are  either 
(8) 


106  Applied  Theology. 

both  false  or  both  true.  If  Christ  is  not 
risen,  there  is  no  resurrection  of  the  dead; 
but  if  Christ  rose  from  the  dead,  then  they 
that  sleep  in  Jesus  shall  also  rise.  He  has 
taken  the  sting  from  death,  and  robbed  the 
grave  of  victory. 

Naturally  the  return  of  Easter  in  the 
spring  of  the  year,  when  buds  swell  and 
blossoms  unfold,  reminds  Christians  of 
this  doctrine  of  their  faith.  The  early 
Christians  were  in  the  habit  of  saluting 
each  other  on  Easter  morning  with  the  ex- 
ultant phrase,  "The  Lord  is  risen."  The 
declaration  of  the  disciples  who  hastened 
to  the  open  tomb  was  "The  Lord  is  risen 
indeed."  In  this  declaration  and  the  estab- 
lished doctrine,  we  have  a  broad  and  sure 
foundation  for  our  hope  of  sternal  life  for 
the  body  and  the  soul. 


GRACE  AND   FAITH. 

The  value  of  a  promise  depends  on  the 
ability  and  trustworthiness  of  the  maker. 
We  accept  the  promise  because  we  believe 
in  the  man.  So  with  the  promises  of  the 
Bible.  We  accept  them  because  we  believe 
in  the  God  who  makes  them. 

Faith  in  the  Scripture  sense  is  belief  in 
Christ  and  acceptance  of  him  as  a  Savior. 
It  is  the  act  "by  which  we  receive  and 
rest  upon  him  alone  for  salvation  as  he  is 
offered  to  us  in  the  Gospel."  We  are  saved 
by  faith,  not  because  there  is  merit  in  the 
faith  itself,  but  because  "he  is  faithful  who 
has  promised,"  and  because  he  is  able  to 
fulfill  his  promises. 

Salvation  is  of  God.  Faith  is  a  condition 
or  test.  Abraham  believed  God,  and  "it 
was  counted  to  him  for  righteousness."  He 
anticipated  the  gospel  message:  "Believe 
on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  thou  shalt  be 
saved."  Like  all  the  company  of  the  re- 
deemed before  and  since  Christ's  day,  he 
was  "justified  by  faith." 
Faith  is  the  greatest  power  within  man's 

(107) 


108  Applied  Theology. 

reach.  By  faith,  we  remove  mountains,  stop 
the  mouths  of  lions,  and  defeat  the  plans 
of  the  evil  one.  By  faith  we  secure  all 
that  is  best  in  this  life  and  "in  the  world 
to  come  life  everlasting." 

There  are  some  things,  however,  that 
faith  can  not  do.  It  can  not  change  false- 
hood into  truth  or  evil  into  good.  Confi- 
dence in  a  dishonest  man  or  a  bankrupt 
does  not  make  his  note  good.  There  must 
be  something  in  the  man  to  justify  the 
confidence.  So  there  must  be  that  in  God 
which  justifies  faith.  Christians  should  "be 
ready  to  give  a  reason  for  the  hope"  that  is 
in  them — a  hope  based  not  on  themselves 
or  on  any  merit  in  their  faith,  but  on  God 
and  his  gracious  purpose.  Salvation  is 
"through  faith,"  but  it  is  "by  grace."  It 
is  of  man's  choice,  and  yet  not  of  his  choice 
alone,  for  "it  is  God  that  worketh  in  you 
both  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure." 

When  the  apostle  says,  "By  grace  ye  are 
saved  through  faith,  and  that  not  of  your- 
selves, it  is  the  gift  of  God,"  he  puts  into 
simple  language  the  profound  doctrines  of 
God's  sovereignty  and  man's  freedom.  More- 
over, he  so  expresses  and  combines  these 
apparently  contradictory  doctrines  that  no 
man  can  object  to  either  of  them.    When 


Grace  and  Faith.  109 


the  soul  says,  "Lord,  I  believe;  I  accept 
thee  and  thy  salvation,"  it  meets  the  test 
God  has  imposed  upon  it  as  truly  as  Adam 
would  have  met  the  test  if  he  had  not 
taken  the  forbidden  fruit  It  complies  with 
the  conditions  of  salvation  as  truly  as  the 
chosen  people  would  have  complied  if  they 
had  kept  all  the  commandments.  At  the 
same  time  it  knows  that  salvation  is  not 
ot  right  or  by  its  own  power,  but  of  God, 
who  loved  it  and  chose  it,  and  inclined  it, 
and  gave  it  power  to  believe  and  lay  hold 
of  the  hope  set  before  it  in  the  Gospel. 

Christians  have  reason  to  rejoice  that 
salvation  is  by  grace.  If  it  were  solely  by 
faith  or  by  any  act  of  their  own,  or  by  any 
mental  state,  they  might  be  troubled;  but 
if  n  is  by  grace,  they  are  safe.  Their  faith 
might  waver  or  fail,  but  God  changes  not, 
and  his  purposes  never  fail.  "Where  is 
boasting  then?"  "It  is  excluded"  "by  the 
law  of  faith."  Humility  follows  faith  as 
naturally  as  a  flower  comes  from  the  seed. 
Where  is  neglect  or  sinful  indulgence  or 
indifference  to  the  salvation  of  others?  All 
are  excluded  by  the  same  law  of  faith. 
Saved  by  grace,  we  are  to  grow  in  grace 
and  to  make  known  to  others  the  riches  of 
this  grace. 


A  PERSONAL  SAVIOR. 

The  Gospel  is  the  proclamation,  not  of  a 
system  of  philosophy  nor  even  of  a  moral 
code,  but  of  a  peraonal  Savior.  Many  mes- 
siahs  have  spoken  to  humanity  and  many 
systems  of  religion  and  philosophy  have 
offered  relief  from  the  ills  of  life  and  hope 
for  the  future;  but  the  Gospel  differs  from 
all  these.  It  is  the  announcement  of  a 
person.  It  is  comprehended  in  a  name. 
Philip,  in  dealing  with  the  Ethiopian  eu- 
nuch, "preached  to  him  Jesus."  Peter  de- 
clared, "There  is  none  other  name  under 
heaven  given  among  men  whereby  we  must 
be  saved;  "and  Paul,  looking  to  the  future, 
announced  that  every  knee  in  heaven  and 
earth  shall  bow  to  Christ  and  every  tongue 
confess  him  Lord. 

The  whole  Gospel  is  comprehended  in 
the  name  of  Christ.  We  preach  not  only 
his  words  and  what  he  did.  but  him  We 
call  upon  men  to  accept  not  only  his  pre- 
cepts, but  him.  Other  leaders  have  taught 
truth;  He  is  the  truth.  Others  have  pointed 
out  ways;  He  is  the  way  and  the  life. 
Others  have  demanded  obedience;  He  de- 
(110) 


A  Personal  Savior.  Ill 

mands  love.  Others  have  offered  rewards; 
He  gives  himself.  Others  have  lived  and 
taught  and  left  maxims  and  rules  for  their 
disciples;  He  is  with  his  people  always, 
a  Savior,  teacher,  comforter,  helper  and 
friend. 

The  most  important  truths  may  some- 
times be  the  starting  points  of  error,  and 
just  here  there  is  a  possibility  of  such  de- 
parture. We  emphasize  the  personal  ele- 
ment in  the  Gospel  message.  Let  us  not 
at  the  same  time  discredit  the  doctrines  of 
him  we  honor.  Let  us  draw  no  contrasts 
between  Christ  and  creed.  He  who  preaches 
Christ,  preaches  his  doctrines,  and  he  who 
denies  his  doctrines,  denies  him. 

In  preaching  Christ  one  must  preach  his 
deity.  He  was  from  everlasting.  "Before 
the  world  was  he  was,"  and  "being  in  the 
form  of  God,  thought  it  no  robbery  to  be 
equal  with  God."  Men  have  been  known  to 
cry  out  against  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity, 
of  Christ's  oneness  with  the  Father,  while 
in  the  same  breath  pleading  his  claims  as  a 
great  and  wise  teacher  and  helper  of  men; 
but  this  is  not  the  Scriptural  method.  The 
message  which  is  to  save  the  world  is  the 
Gospel  of  a  divine  Savior — of  "Immanuel," 
God   with   us.      He   who   preaches   Christ, 


112  Applied  Theology. 

preaches  botli  his  deity  and  humanity.  He 
is  "God  and  man  in  two  distinct  natures 
and  one  person  forever." 

The  incarnation  is  part  of  the  doctrine 
of  Christ.  So  is  the  vicarious  atonement. 
He  who  fails  to  tell  what  Christ  did  on 
Calvary  does  not  truly  preach  him.  "He 
was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,"  "The 
Lord  hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all." 

So  the  preaching  of  Christ  includes  the 
doctrines  he  taught.  It  includes  his  resur- 
rection, and  his  testimony  as  to  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  as  to  himself  and  the  Spirit  and 
the  Father.  It  includes  also  his  commands 
as  to  faith,  diligence,  purity,  helpfulness 
and  holiness. 

They  who  contrast  the  strong  doctrines 
of  God's  Word  with  the  simplicity  of  Christ 
really  turn  away  from  him.  His  Gospel  is 
in  one  sense  simple,  but  in  another  myste- 
rious. "God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  justified 
in  the  spirit,  seen  of  angels,  believed  on 
in  the  world,  received  up  into  glory."  The 
incarnation  and  atonement  are  things  at 
which  angels  wonder.  The  Gospel  is  simple 
in  so  far  as  the  duty  it  requires  of  us  Is 
concerned — the  duty  to  love,  trust,  serve 
and  imitate  Christ;  but  in  itself  it  is  the 
mystery  of  mysteries. 


FEAR  AND  LOVE. 

Natural  religion  begins  in  fear.  Its  wor- 
ship is  the  effort  to  propitiate  an  angry 
deity.  Creation  teaches  man  that  there  is 
a  God,  and  that  he  is  powerful;  and  provi- 
dence that  he  is  just  and  will  punish  sin. 
Man  dreads  the  judgments  of  God.  He 
fears  pestilence  and  loss  of  property,  and 
other  ills,  and  strives  by  sacrifices  to  divert 
them  and  gain  favor.  A  tremolo  of  per- 
vasive uncertainty  and  fear  distinguishes 
all  heathen  theologies.  Gods  are  worshiped 
not  because  they  are  worthy  of  worship, 
but  because  the  worshipers  are  afraid  of 
them.  God's  people  of  old  felt  the  influence 
of  this  heathen  error.  They  did  not  rise 
to  a  true  conception  of  the  revelation  given 
through  Moses  and  the  prophets.  They 
strove  to  keep  the  letter  of  the  law,  with 
no  thought  of  its  spirit.  Christ  showed 
them  that  love  is  better  than  formal  obe- 
dience, and  even  than  sacrifices;  that  "God 
is  love,"  and  that  "love  is  the  fulfillment 
of  the  law." 

This  was  not  a  new  doctrine,  for  it  was 
taught  in  their  Scriptures,  and  that  they 

(113) 


114  Applied  Theology. 

had  not  seen  it  was  because  "blindness  in 
part  had  happened  to  Israel."  "I  have 
loved  you,  saith  the  Lord,  but  ye  say, 
wherein  hast  thou  loved  us?"  In  Christ, 
the  "express  image"  of  God's  person,  love 
was  so  magnified  that  no  one  who  reads 
the  New  Testament  can  fail  to  see  it. 

It  was  love  that  prompted  the  plan  of 
salvation.  "God  so  loved  the  world  that 
he  gave  his  only  begotten  son,  that  who- 
soever believeth  in  him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  everlasting  life."  It  was  love  that 
prompted  Christ  to  die.  "Greater  love  hath 
no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down 
his  life  for  his  friends."  The  "love  of  the 
Spirit"  is  also  asserted  as  an  incentive  to 
prayer.  We  come,  therefore,  n^Dt  to  a  God 
of  power  and  justice  only,  but  to  a  God  who 
with  these  attributes  unites  love;  who  is 
'gracious  and  merciful,  unwilling  that  any 
should  perish."  The  "fear  of  the  Lord"  is 
not  dreads  but  reverence.  We  have,  if  chil- 
dren of  God,  nothing  to  dread  from  our 
Heavenly  Father. 

No  two  things  could  be  in  stronger  con- 
trast than  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  and  that 
of  heathen  religions.  "Fear  hath  torment." 
He  who  worships  simply  to  avert  wrath, 
whose  God  is  the  impersonation  of  venge- 
ance, has  no  peace.     His  fear  is  continual 


Fear  and  Love.  115 

torment.  But  the  assurance  of  God's  love 
is  the  soul's  rest  It  begets  love  in  the 
soul,  and  so  banishes  fear,  for  "perfect  love 
rasteth  out  fear." 

We  distinguish,  for  convenience'  sake,  be- 
tween faith,  hope  and  love,  though  really 
the  three  are  one,  and  the  greatest,  because 
it  includes  the  others,  is  love.  He  from 
wnom  fear  is  cast  out  has  faith  and  hope. 
'•He  that  loveth  is  born  of  God." 

God's  love  to  us  is  the  foundation  and 
reason  of  our  love  to  him.  We  love  him 
because  he  first  loved  us,  and  gave  himself 
for  us.  "The  love  of  Christ  constraineth 
us,"  not  only  because  we  are  blessed  by  it, 
but  because  he  is  manifest  in  it  as  "chiefest 
among  ten  thousand  and  the  one  altogether 
lovely." 

God's  love  begets  love  to  our  fellow  men. 
"If  God  so  loved  us,  we  ought  also  to  love 
one  another."  If  Christ  so  loved  us  and 
all  men  as  to  die  for  us,  we  ought,  indeed 
we  must,  be  interested  in  making  known 
this  love  and  in  the  salvation  of  souls. 
Love  finds  its  highest  manifestation  in  the 
effort  to  save  men.  The  word  has  been, 
and  is,  much  abused,  being  made  to  cover 
all  manner  of  likes  and  dislikes,  as  well  as 
the  expression  of  sensual  desire.  True  love 
seeks  the  good  of  its  object.    Love  to  God 


116  Applied  Theology. 

seeks  his  glory.  Love  to  men  seeks  to 
bring  them  to  Christ.  "Knowing  the  terror 
of  the  Lord,"  the  danger  of  those  who  will 
not  serve  him,  it  persuades  them.  It  is 
purely  unselfish.  "Charity  seeketh  not  her 
own."  It  is  interested,  not  in  a  limited 
family  or  church  circle,  but  in  the  world. 
As  "God  so  loved  the  world/'  it  would  give 
the  Gospel  to  every  creatur**. 

Nothing  better  exemplifies  the  mind  of 
Christ  than  the  spirit  of  missions.  The 
love  which  takes  men  and  women  from 
home  and  comforts,  to  devote  themselves  to 
work  amoTig  the  heathen  in  India  or  Africa, 
or  among  the  Freedmen,  or  in  destitute 
parts  of  our  own  land,  is  divine.  That  unbe- 
lievers should  wonder  at  it  is  not  strange, 
for  love  is  a  hidden  motive  to  those  who 
have  not  felt  it.  Neither  is  it  strange  that 
the  heathen  in  many  places  have  suspected 
personal  or  political  promptings.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  presence  of  men  actuated 
only  by  love  is  an  object  lesson.  In  their 
devotion  and  self-sacrifice  Christ  is  "lifted 
up,"  and  so,  both  by  word  and  example, 
they  draw  men  to  him. 


SIN  AGAINST   SELF. 

Human  laws  prevent  injury  or  trespass 
by  one  person  upon  another.  They  do  not 
recognize  the  necessity  of  restraining  sane 
men  from  self-injury  or  from  trespass  upon 
their  own  rights.  Yet  in  the  light  of  Scrip- 
ture, he  who  injures  his  neighbor  injures 
himself.  All  sin  is  against  God,  but  it  is 
equally  a  wrong  to  the  sinner.  "Whoso  sin- 
neth  against  me  wrongeth  his  own  soul" 
is  the  utterance  of  that  wisdom  which,  in 
inspiration,  is  called  the  fear  of  the  Lord. 

The  law  says,  "Thou  shalt  not  kill."  The 
punishment  of  murder  by  man's  law  is 
death,  but  the  murderer  may  escape  it. 
He  may  fly,  or  there  may  be  technicalities; 
but  the  wrong  to  his  own  soul  can  not  be 
escaped.  It  is  a  present  and  continuous 
punishment.  A  man  appeared  at  a  police 
station  and  yielded  himself  a  prisoner. 
Years  before  he  had  killed  a  man  in  an- 
other city.  The  remembrance  of  his  deed 
and  the  face  of  his  victim  had  never  left 
him.  His  sin  had  proved  a  wrong  to  his 
soul.  Death  would  have  been  a  less  griev- 
ous punishment.     Anger  is  a  violation  of 

(117  ) 


118  Applied  Theology. 

the  sixth  commandment,  and,  though  it 
may  pass  quickly  away,  leaves  the  soul 
worse  for  its  indulgence. 

Another  command  enforces  honesty.  The 
man  who  steals  wrongs  his  soul  more  than 
the  amount  he  takes  from  his  fellow.  The 
cases  continually  reported  of  those  who  are 
pushed  by  conscience  to  return  money  un- 
justly taken  are  illustrations  of  this.  The 
wrong  may  not,  in  every  case,  be  realized, 
for  the  conscience  is  often  so  seared  that 
the  sinner  does  not  know  his  condition. 

Another  command  enforces  chastity.  Our 
Savior  interprets  it  to  forbid  impurity  of 
thought,  as  well  as  of  deed.  It  can  not  be 
broken  without  sin;  every  violation  makes 
its  mark  on  the  soul.  The  sin  is  against 
God;  it  is  also  against  self.  The  soul,  under 
its  influence,  is  wronged  of  its  purity;  it 
becomes  polluted.  The  wrong  can  not  be 
estimated.  The  sin  may  be  repented  of  and 
the  pollution  removed,  but  a  scar  is  left, 
uglier  than  any  possible  on  the  face  of 
man.  As  in  the  case  of  other  sins,  the 
sinner  may  be  unconscious  that  he  wrongs 
himself.  Sin  may  be  sweet  to  him,  so  that 
he  does  not  know  his  suffering.  He  does 
not  see  himself,  or.  if  he  does  see,  fails  to 
note  the  changes  which  have  passed  and 
are  passing  upon  him.    If  it  were  possible 


Sin  Against  Self.  119 

to  compai'e  liis  soul  scarred  with  sin,  with 
the  same  soul  pure  as  in  the  days  long 
past,  he  would  be  startled,  and  realize  that 
in  sinning  against  God  he  has  wronged 
himself  beyond  repair. 

Application  of  the  same  truth  might  be 
made  to  all  of  the  commandments,  no  one 
of  which  can  be  broken  without  peril.  It 
i&  spe<jially  true  of  the  law  in  its  entirety, 
as  summed  up  by  Christ.  He  who  fails  to 
love  God  with  all  his  heart,  wrongs  his  soul 
unspeakably,  defrauding  it  of  that  which  is 
niore  valuable  than  all  other  possessions— 
of  eternal  life.  To  repulse  God's  spirit 
and  refuse  salvation  is  a  quickly  punished 
crime.  The  soul  is  hardened;  with  each 
repulse  it  is  more  and  more  indisposed  to 
receive  the  offered  mercy. 


"BORN  OF  GOD." 

Salvation  is  more  than  the  forgiveness 
Ojl'  sins.  It  is  more  than  repentance  and 
conversion.  It  is  a  new  life.  Christ  said: 
"Ye  must  be  born  again."  The  child  of  God 
is  "born  of  God,"  or  "born  from  above." 
He  is  not  merely  reformed,  but  regenerated. 
He   is  "a  new  creature  in  Christ   Jesus." 

That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh, 
and  that  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is 
spirit,  and  the  growth  of  each  is  accord- 
ing to  its  own  nature.  The  carnal  mind  is 
enmity  against  God,  and  its  growth  is  evil. 
Its  tendencies  are  bad,  and  of  itself  it  goes 
from  bad  to  worse.  The  spiritual  mind  is 
in  harmony  with  God,  and  its  tendencies 
are  good.  It  is  not  left  to  itself,  but,  led 
by  the  Spirit,  grows  in  grace  and  in  tlie 
knowledge  and  love  of  God. 

Some  good  people  stumble  at  the  doctrine 
of  "total  depravity."  Perhaps  the  term  is 
unfortunate.  It  does  not  mean  that  unre- 
generated  men  are  as  bad  as  it  is  possible 
for  them  to  be.  but  that  their  nature  is 
corrupted  by  sin,  and  indisposed  to  good 
and  wholly  inclined  to  evil.  The  re-born 
(120) 


Born  of  God.  121 


soul,  on  the  other  hand,  is  inclined  to  good. 
Salvation  is  a  matter  of  direction,  or  dis- 
position. As  seed  produces  after  Its  own 
kind,  one  soul  grows  in  sin  and  the  other 
in  holiness.  The  first  may  have  estimable 
traits,  but  its  tendency  is  downward.  The 
other  may  be  weak  and  may  fall  often,  but 
its  tendency  is  upward. 

The  final  judgment  to  be  pronounced  upon 
men  will  be  not  only  according  to  what 
they  have  done,  but  according  to  what  they 
are.  John's  vision  of  the  future  represents 
Christ  as  saying:  "He  that  is  unjust,  let 
him  be  unjust  still,  and  he  which  is  filthy, 
let  him  be  filthy  still,  and  he  that  is  right- 
eous, let  him  be  righteous  still,  and  he  that 
is  holy,  let  him  be  holy  still."  As  the  tree 
leans  so  it  grows,  and  in  time  will  fall,  and 
"in  the  place  where  the  tree  falleth,  there 
shall  it  lie."  As  a  man  lives,  so  he  grows; 
and  as  he  grows,  so  he  will  be  at  death; 
and  as  he  is  at  death,  so  he  will  be  forever. 
Standing  alone,  this  would  be  the  doc- 
trine of  despair;  but  it  does  not  stand 
alone.  Christ,  who  said,  "Ye  must  be  born 
again,"  has  made  it  possible  for  all  who 
will  to  be  the  children  of  God,  and  to  grow 
is  his  likeness.  "As  many  as  received  him 
to  them  gave  he  power  to  become  the  sons 
of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  his 
(9) 


122  Applied  Theology. 

name,  which  were  born  not  of  blood,  nor 
of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of 
man,  but  of  God."  Faith  is  the  secret  of 
regeneration.  He  that  believeth  is  born  of 
God.  He  is  begotten  again  in  the  divine 
image.  As  he  grows  in  grace  this  image 
becomes  more  distinct,  and  one  day  it  will 
be  perfect.  "Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons 
of  God,  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what 
we  shall  be;  but  v/e  know  that  when  he 
shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like  him." 

This  is  our  hope.  "Every  man  that  hath 
this  hope  purlSeth  himself,  even  as  he  is 
pure."  If  we  are  to  see  Christ  and  be  like 
him  in  glory,  the  wise  plan  is  to  cultivate 
his  likeness  here. 


SANGTIPICATION. 

Sanctification  is  a  thing  to  be  sought,  but 
not  boasted  of.  It  is  to  be  sought  not  as 
one  seeks  a  lost  piece  of  money,  or  even  the 
pearl  of  great  price,  but  as  one  follows  an 
iDcreasingly  rich  vein  of  precious  metal,  or 
a  path  which  at  every  step  becomes  plainer 
and  more  delightful. 

Sanctification  is  a  process.  It  is  growth 
ill  grace.  All  life,  spiritual  as  well  as  nat- 
ural, begins  with  birth.  The  word  is  used 
in  a  wide  sense.  There  can  be  no  growth 
until  there  is  life.  The  soul  must  be  "born 
from  above,"  not  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the 
will  of  man,  but  of  God. 

Sanctification  is  of  God.  It  is  not  of  man 
to  convert,  regenerate,  sanctify  or  save  him- 
self. Sanctification,  moreover,  is  of  God's 
free  grace.  We  are  sanctified  just  as  we  are 
justified,  "by  grace  through  faith."  Paul, 
in  his  farewell  to  the  Ephesian  elders,  said: 
"1  commend  you  to  God  and  to  the  word  of 
his  grace,  which  is  able  to  build  you  up 
and  to  give  you  an  inheritance  among  all 
them  which  are  sanctified." 

This  is  testimony  not  only  to  the  work 

(123) 


124  Applied  Theology. 

of  the  Spirit,  but  to  the  value  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. The  "word  of  his  grace"  is  the 
means  or  instrument  of  salvation  and 
growth.  Christ,  in  promising  the  Com- 
forter, which  is  the  Holy  Ghost,  said,  "He 
shall  receive  of  mine  and  shall  show  it 
unto  you,"  and  then  he  prayed  for  his  dis- 
ciples, "Sanctify  them  through  the  truth. 
Thy  word  is  truth."  The  Spirit  works 
"when  and  where  and  how  he  pleases,"  but 
ordinarily  he  uses  the  Bible  as  the  means 
of  sanctification. 

What,  then,  shall  we  do  in  order  to  be 
sanctified?  Must  we  wait  until  the  Spirit 
moves  on  us  and  in  some  mysterious  way 
applies  the  Scriptures?  Just  as  man  must 
lay  hold  of  the  offers  of  salvation,  so  he 
must  lay  hold  of  the  offers  of  sanctification. 
Just  as  he  is  justified  by  the  obedience  of 
faith,  so  he  is  to  grow  in  grace  by  faithful 
use  of  the  means  of  grace. 

Above  alL  he  who  would  be  sanctified 
must  use  the  Scriptures.  He  must  read 
and  meditate  and  feed  upon  the  Word. 
There  is  nothing  like  it.  Nothing  can  take 
its  place.  He  must  also  seek  divine  guid- 
ance. Christ  prayed  for  his  people  that 
they  might  be  sanctified.  They  must  pray 
for  themselves;  that  they  may  understand 
the  Word;  that  their  hearts  may  be  enlight- 


Sanctification.  125 


ened;  that  the  Spirit  may  make  the  Word 
plain  to  them,  and  that  they  may  have  wis- 
dom and  strength  to  "stand  perfect  in  all 
the  will  of  God." 

Can  we,  then,  live  perfect  lives?  Did  not 
even  the  apostle  who  prayed  for  such  com- 
pleteness admit  that  he  did  not  attain  to 
it,  and  was  not  perfect,  but  only  pressed 
forward  toward  the  mark?  Yes,  this  is  the 
teaching  of  Scripture.  Sanctification  is  a 
work,  not  an  act;  it  is  a  growth,  not  a 
birth;  but  it  is  a  growth  which  goes  on. 
He  who  has  begun  the  good  work  will  per- 
fect it.  "Christians  are  at  their  death  made 
perfect  in  holiness."  This  is  our  hope.  We 
are  in  a  world  of  trial  and  temptation.  The 
flesh  is  weak  and  the  powers  of  evil  are 
strong,  but  our  hope  is  in  God,  who  will 
"not  suffer  us  to  be  tempted  above  that  we 
are  able  to  bear."  We  are  justified  in  ex- 
pecting such  help  as  will  enable  us  to  keep 
God's  law,  and  where  we  fail,  we  are  jus- 
tified in  expecting  forgiveness  and  strength 
for  another  effort.  Beyond  all  this  we  have 
the  assurance  that  we  shall  one  day  be 
perfect  in  the  likeness  of  Christ,  when  we 
shall  see  him  as  he  is. 


"THE  PEACE  OF  GOD." 

Christians  are  exhorted  to  "let  the  peace 
of  God  rule"  in  their  hearts,  and  are  as- 
sured that  this  peace  is  of  grace,  and  is  a 
thing  to  which  they  are  "called,"  or  chosen, 
and  for  which  they  are  to  give  thanks. 

What  is  this  peace?  It  is  not  rest  from 
strife.  The  flesh  lusteth  against  the  spirit, 
and  Satan  is  still  to  be  resisted.  We  are 
to  stand  fast,  and  strive,  and  put  on  the 
whole  armor  of  God.  It  is  not  freedom 
from  trial.  Sickness  and  pain  and  bereave- 
ment are  our  lot.  Friends  may  prove  false 
and  riches  take  wings  and  fly  away.  It  is 
not  release  from  labor.  The  earth  still 
brings  forth  thorns  and  briers.  "In  the 
sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread"  is 
the  divine  law.  It  is  not  a  condition  of 
ecstasy,  in  which  the  soul  revels  and  sings, 
oblivious  to  the  strife  and  trials  and  re- 
quirements of  life  and  the  sin  and  need 
of  humanity.  It  is  not  a  second  conversion 
or  superior  attainment  in  holiness,  which 
justifies  Pharisaical  satisfaction  or  invid- 
ious comparisons  with  others. 

It  is  first  of  all  a  matter  of  grace.  Chris- 
(126) 


The  Peace  of  God.  127 

tians  are  chosen  to  it  of  God  just  as  they 
are  chosen  to  salvation.  The  Scriptures 
say  "that  as  many  as  were  ordained  to  eter- 
nal life  believed."  This  was  the  first  step. 
Growth  in  grace,  the  peace  of  God,  service 
for  and  likeness  to  Christ,  perseverance, 
and  heaven  came  afterwards  All  were 
psrts  of  the  eternal  life  to  which  they 
were  ordained.  When  Paul  wrote,  "Let  the 
peace  of  God  rule  in  j^our  hearts,"  he 
added,  "to  which  also  ye  are  called." 

Just  as  one  chosen  to  salvation  must 
"work  out"  his  salvation,  so  he  must  appre- 
hend and  lay  hold  of  the  peace  of  God. 
Here,  as  at  every  stage  of  the  Christian 
life,  he  is  to  make  his  "calling  and  election 
sure."  "By  grace  ye  are  saved  through 
faith,"  and  so  by  grace  ye  have  peace 
through  faith,  "According  to  your  faith  be 
it  unto  you"  is  a  divine  law.  They  of  little 
faith  have  little  peace.  "Thou  wilt  keep 
him  in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  stayed 
on  thee,  because  he  trusteth  in  thee," 

This  peace  makes  God's  people  content, 
no  matter  what  their  state.  They  endure 
calamities  and  persecutions  without  com- 
plaint. Though  there  be  "no  flock  in  the 
fold  and  no  herd  in  the  stall,"  yet  they  re- 
joice in  God.  They  are  not  delivered  from 
trials,  but  have  peace  in  them.    They  know 


128  Applied  Theology, 

that  whatever  their  condition,  "all  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love 
God."  "Certainly  I  will  be  with  thee."  "My 
grace  is  sufficient  for  thee."  Christ  said: 
"My  peace  I  give  unto  you.  Let  not  your 
heart  he  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid." 
The  dove  is  an  emblem  of  peace,  but  so 
also  is  another  and  very  different  bird. 
One  who  watches  an  eagle  at  the  beginning 
of  a  storm  notes  the  confidence  with  which 
he  rises  above  turmoil  and  danger,  and 
may  hear,  after  the  clouds  have  hidden 
him  from  view,  his  note  of  triumph.  It  is 
written  of  God's  people:  "They  shall  mount 
up  on  wings  as  eagles."  Their  peace  is 
that  of  the  upper  air.  It  is  the  persuasion 
that  nothing  shall  separate  us  from  the 
love  of  God. 


PERSEVERANCE. 

The  doctrine  of  the  final  perseverance 
of  the  saints  includes  the  doctrine  of  the 
faithfulness  of  the  Almighty.  It  is  part  of 
the  doctrine  of  election.  Those  whom  God 
has  chosen  and  called  and  justified  he  will 
also  glorify.  Paul  put  the  matter  clearly 
when  he  wrote:  "We  are  confident  that  he 
which  hath  begun  a  good  work  in  you  will 
perform  it  until  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ." 

Of  course  the  Christian  has  a  part  in  his 
own  perseverance,  just  as  he  has  in  repent- 
ance, faith  and  growth  in  grace;  but  the 
better  he  does  his  part,  the  more  fully  he 
realizes  that  salvation  from  beginning  to 
end  is  of  the  Lord.  He  obeys  the  command, 
"Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear 
and  trembling,"  and  accepts  the  word  of 
caution  and  encouragement  which  follows: 
"For  it  is  God  which  worketh  in  you  both 
to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure." 

There  is  no  comfort  in  the  doctrine  of 
the  perseverance  of  the  saints  for  those 
who  live  in  sin.  The  testimony  of  their 
lives  is  that  they  are  not  saints.  God's 
purpose   to   save   and   uphold   any   one   is 

(129) 


130  Applied  Theology. 

known  only  as  he  gives  evidence  that  he 
is  saved. 

The  doctrine  of  election,  with  all  that  it 
involves,  is  one  of  comfort  to  Christian 
people,  but  it  has  no  comfort  and  furnishes 
no  excuse  to  those  who  fail  to  make  their 
calling  and  election  sure.  So  the  doctrine 
of  perseverance,  comforting  to  those  who 
persevere  in  it,  is  nothing  to  those  who  do 
not.  The  suggestion  that  one  who  is  in 
Christ,  being  sure  of  salvation,  can  go  on 
ill  sin,  is  utterly  contrary  to  the  spirit  of 
the  Gospel.  Paul  says:  "Shall  we  continue 
in  sin  because  grace  abounds?  God  forbid. 
How  shall  we  who  are  dead  to  sin  continue 
any  longer  therein?"  The  doctrine  is  that, 
by  God's  grace,  Christians  will  persevere, 
not  that  they  will  give  up  and  live  as  hea- 
then. Christ  said:  "My  sheep  hear  my 
voice,  and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow 
me;  and  I  give  unto  them  eternal  l?fe,  and 
they  shall  never  perish.  Neither  shall  any 
man  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand."  It  is  the 
mark  of  saints  that  they  "follow"  Christ. 
They  are  "ordained"  to  this  as  well  as  to 
eternal  life.  God's  grace  is  sufficient  for 
them  both  in  this  life  and  that  which  is  to 
come.  They  depend  not  on  their  own  good- 
ness, nor,  when  they  fall,  on  their  own  re- 
pentance,  but  on   God.     Their   prayer  is: 


Perseverance.  131 


"Hold  thou  me  up  and  I  shall  be  safe." 
Their  faith  is:  "Thou  wilt  not  suffer  my 
foot  to  be  moved."  "The  Lord  will  perfect 
that  which  concerneth  me."  Their  deter- 
mination is:  "As  for  me,  I  will  serve  the 
Lord." 


CHRISTIAN  LIBERTY. 

The  word  "liberty"  is  hard  to  define. 
Dictionaries  make  it  synonymous  with  "in- 
dependence" and  "freedom";  but  these  are 
indefinite.  There  is  no  absolute  independ- 
ence for  man.  Our  "War  of  Independence" 
only  gave  us  freedom  from  foreign  political 
control.  We  are  still  subject  to  limitations, 
and  can  do  as  we  please  only  within  a  cer- 
tain sphere.  The  same  is  true  of  every 
man  individually;  for  while,  in  one  sense, 
all  "are  born  free  and  equal,"  in  a  higher 
sense  men  are  not  equal,  and  no  man  is 
independent    of    law. 

Political  economy  recognizes  the  fact  that, 
for  the  best  good  of  men,  liberty  must  be 
limited  by  law.  Every  man  is  born  under 
law.  He  is  entitled  to  life,  but  not  to  lib- 
erty and  the  pursuit  of  happiness,  except 
within  certain  prescribed  lines.  He  must 
pay  taxes.  He  is  not  at  liberty  to  kill  or 
steal.  He  can  not  pursue  happiness  by  eat- 
ing his  neighbor's  fruit  or  taking  his  neigh- 
bor's wife.  He  is  thus  limited,  not  only  by 
the  statutes  of  the  State,  but  by  the  higher 
law,  of  which  these  are  an  expression.  God 
(132) 


Christian  Liberty.  133 

has  written  his  commandments,  not  only  on 
tables  of  stone,  but  in  man's  nature.  Con- 
science says  that  certain  things  are  wrong, 
and  he  is  not  at  liberty  to  do  them. 

It  may  be  said  in  reply  to  this  that  law- 
abiding  people  are  not  oppressed  by  the 
statutes  against  crime.  Criminals  are  re- 
strained, but  we  have  all  the  liberty  we 
want.  "Rulers  are  not  a  terror  to  good 
works,  but  to  evil."  This  is  true,  and  illus- 
trates the  fact  that  the  highest  liberty  is 
inseparable  from  law;  that  it  is  not  in  inde- 
pendence of  all  restraint,  but  in  approval 
of  and  submission  to  reasonable  authority. 
A  man's  liberty  is  not  compromised  by  laws 
which  forbid  what  he  does  not  wish  to  do. 
If  all  people  appreciated  and  approved  the 
laws  of  the  land,  the  ideal  free  state  would 
be  attained.  So,  if  all  delighted  in  the  law 
of  God.  all  would  be  free,  and  the  millen- 
nium would  be  here.  There  would  be  law, 
and  men  would  be  bound  to  obey  it;  but  no 
one  would  feel  himself  limited  by  it 

Let  us  imagine  ourselves  in  a  world 
where  there  is  no  sin.  There  is.  perhaps, 
a  "tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil," 
or  some  other  test  of  obedience,  but  no 
code  of  laws  has  been  formulated.  Right 
and  truth  are  the  same  as  in  our  own 
world.     It  would  be  sin  to  kill  or  steal  or 


134  Applied  Theology. 

commit  adultery,  but  no  man's  liberty  is 
lessened,  because  no  man  wishes  to  do  any 
of  these  things.  The  law  in  which  all  de- 
light is  love.  The  Spirit  of  God  rules  all 
hearts,  and  "where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
is,  there  is  liberty." 

Such  a  world  was  ours  before  the  fall; 
but  there  entered  it  another  spirit,  bring- 
ing the  seeds  of  bondage.  Sin  is  slavery. 
"Whosoever  committeth  sin  is  the  servant 
of  sin."  Our  first  parents  sold  themselves. 
They  came  under  the  law  of  sin  and  death. 
A  single  sin  is  a  cord.  A  sinful  habit  is  a 
cord  doubled  and  twisted,  which,  unlike 
other  cords,  does  not  wear  out  nor  weaken 
with  age,  but  grows  stronger.  It  binds  not 
only  the  sinner  himself,  but  his  children. 
We  talked  once  to  a  man  who,  as  the  heir 
tc  five  generations  of  drunkards,  felt  him- 
self the  hopeless  slave  of  drink;  but  every 
man  is  heir  to  five  times  five,  and  more, 
generations  of  sinners,  and  is  bound  in 
chains,  which  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion have  grown  stronger.  Can  he  break 
these  chains?  As  well  might  a  Russian 
serf  have  set  himself  against  the  empire. 
There  is  no  hope,  unless  deliverance  comes 
to  him  from  without.  Man  is  helplessly 
bound,  "sold  under  sin."  and  there  is  no 
release  save  in  the  Gospel. 


Christian  Liberty.  135 

Christ  preached  "deliverance  to  the  cap- 
tives." He  came  to  "set  at  liberty  them 
that  are  bruised."  He  was  the  truth,  and 
his  message  was  "Ye  shall  know  the  truth, 
and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free."  Not 
only  does  he  introduce  men  into  the  glo- 
rious "liberty  of  the  sons  of  God,"  but  by 
grace  his  image  is  restored.  We  partake  of 
bis  Spirit.  We  are  not  only  freed,  but 
fitted  for  freedom.  We  receive  the  adop- 
tion of  sons,  "being  led  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,"  and,  with  Paul,  can  say  that  "the 
law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  has  made  us  free 
from  the  law  of  sin  and  death." 

This  is  Christian  liberty.  It  is  not,  as 
we  have  seen,  independence  of  law.  It  is 
the  position  of  one  under  laws  in  which 
h'.^  delights.  The  commandments  are  still 
binding,  but  they  are  not  grievous.  The 
authority  and  obligation  remain  the  same, 
but  the  heart  is  changed.  A  new  affection 
has  expelled  old  desires.  What  the  soul 
loved,  it  hates;  and  what  it  hated,  it  loves. 
Pleasures  which  before  seemed  indispen- 
sable have  lost  their  charm,  and  duties 
once  oppressive  are  a  delight.  The  Chris- 
tian does  not  say,  "I  can  not  do  this,  for 
it  is  sin";  but  "I  do  not  wish  to  do  it,  for 
I  am  delivered  from  sin." 

We  do  not  always  speak  so  positively. 


136  Applied  Theology. 

The  flesh  is  weak,  and.  though  in  our  best 
moments  we  know  that  we  are  free,  there 
is  always  danger;  for  our  old  master, 
knowing  our  weak  points,  strives  to  bring 
us  again  into  subjection.  There  is  need 
of  watchfulness.  Old  habits  and  easily- 
besetting  sins  must  be  especially  guarded 
against.  Both  grace  and  personal  effort 
are  necessary  if  we  would  stand  fast  in 
the  liberty  with  which  Christ  hath  made 
U3  free,"  and  not  be  again  entangled  with 
the  yoke  of  our  old  bondage. 


WALKING  WITH  GOD. 

Enoch  walked  with  God,  and  the  inspired 
writer  testifies  that  he  pleased  God.  The 
implication  is  that  we  are  to  have  such  fel- 
lowship with  God  as  warrants  the  expres- 
sion, "walking  with"  him.  John  wrote: 
"He  that  saith  he  abideth  in  him,  ought 
also  to  walk  even  as  he  walked."  Peter 
commands  to  "walk  not  after  the  flesh," 
and  Isaiah,  to  walk  "in  the  light  of  the 
Lord";  and  in  the  Revelation  it  is  prom- 
ised that  those  who  are  worthy  "shall  walk 
with  him  in  white." 

Men  may  walk  together  without  fellow- 
ship. They  are  marshaled  in  ranks  as  sol- 
diers, or  united  in  business  partnerships. 
Enoch  walked  with  God  as  one  walks  with 
a  friend;  as  chosen  companions  seek  each 
other,  that  they  may,  as  they  journey,  enjoy 
each  other's  society. 

To  walk  with  God,  one  must  feel  his  pres- 
ence. This  is  not  possible  save  by  faith; 
no  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time,  but,  as 
revealed  in  Christ,  h©  is  seen  with  the 
eye  of  faith,  and  spoken  with  in  the  prayer 
of  faith.     As  one   sees  and  talks  with   a 

(137) 
(10) 


138  Applied  Theology. 

fiiend,  so  the  Christian  sees  and  communes 
with  God.  He  feels  not  only  that  he  is  near, 
but  that  his  love  and  help  are  realities. 

To  walk  with  God,  we  must  be  at  peace 
with  him.  "How  can  two  walk  together, 
except  they  be  agreed?"  Men  may  agree 
to  differ,  and  yet  not  separate;  but  if  we 
would  have  fellowship  with  God,  we  must 
be  at  one  with  him.  This  fellowship  and 
oneness  are  ours  through  Christ.  We  were 
naturally  at  enmity.  Your  sins  have  sepa- 
rated between  me  and  you,  saith  the  Lord; 
but  God  has,  in  Christ,  reconciled  us  to 
himself,  not  imputing  to  us  our  sins. 

We  must  not  only  be  at  peace,  but  must 
be  like-minded  with  God.  Two  travelers 
with  different  tastes  rarely  enjoy  travel  to- 
gether— one  is  drawn  one  way,  and  the 
other  another.  If  we  would  enjoy  our  walk 
with  God,  we  must  love  what  he  loves.  We 
must,  therefore,  study  his  will,  as  revealed 
in  his  Word  and  in  the  life  of  his  Son. 
Our  controlling  aim  must  be  to  grow  in 
grace,  and  be  "holy,  as  he  is  holy."  We 
can  not  in  this  life  attain  to  his  perfection, 
but  we  may  become  more  and  more  like 
him.  It  is  said  by  some  that  husband  and 
wife,  living  together,  grow  as  the  years 
pass  into  each  other's  likeness;  their  tastes, 
aims  and  hopes  become  more  alike.     Cer- 


Walking  with  God.  139 

tainly  the  Christian  walking  with  God  be- 
comes more  like  him.  If  evil  associations 
corrupt  good  manners,  association  with  the 
infinitely  pure  and  holy  God  will  elevate 
and  purify  the  soul. 

The  duty  and  blessedness  of  walking  with 
God  may  lead  to  a  dangerous  error.  They 
did  so  lead  men  in  the  dark  ages.  Holy 
men  thought  that  to  be  with  God  they  must 
withdraw  from  all  association  with  their 
fellows.  They  retired  to  cells  and  caves, 
and  gave  themselves  to  prayer  and  penance. 
Such  a  course,  though  pursued  in  sincerity, 
is  radically  inactive  and  selfish.  There  was 
once  a  Hindoo  who  gave  himself  to  the 
adoration  of  the  Infinite.  In  his  house  he 
built  a  chamber  with  but  one  window,  and 
that  in  the  roof.  His  eyes  were  ever  turned 
upward.  When  he  went  abroad  he  rode  in 
a  palanquin  closed  at  the  sides  and  open 
at  the  top.  As  he  passed  along,  his  bear- 
ers saw  poverty  and  distress,  while  he  saw 
nothing  but  the  sky.  He  could  contemplate 
the  Infinite  without  a  thought  of  finite  sor- 
row. This  may  have  been  good  heathenism, 
but  it  is  not  Christianity. 

Christ,  while  in  the  world,  went  about 
doing  good.  He  sent  out  his  disciples  to 
heal  the  sick  and  cast  out  devils.  They 
would  have  enjoyed  walking  with  him  and 


140  Applied  Theology. 

sitting  at  his  feet;  but  he  sent  them  to  min- 
ister, even  as  his  Father  sent  him,  and  as 
he  ministered.  "Pure  religion  and  unde- 
filed  before  God  and  the  Father  is  this,  To 
visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their 
affliction,  and  to  keep  himself  unspotted 
from  the  world";  to  live  in  the  world  as 
not  of  it;  to  live  by  the  faith  of  Christ, 
and  do  everything  in  his  name  and  to  his 
glory.  He  who  thus  lives  finds  God  every- 
where. He  does  business  with  his  fellows, 
and  his  business  is  sanctified.  God  is  pres- 
ent in  his  office  and  at  his  home,  and  those 
who  see  him  know  not  only  that  he  has 
been  with  Jesus  and  learned  of  him,  but 
that  he  walks  with  him  every  day,  and 
continues  to  learn. 


THE  PRINCE  OF  THIS  WORLD. 

Christ  did  not  underestimate  the  power 
of  Satan.  He  recognized  him  as  a  prince, 
having  authority  and  the  world  as  his  do- 
minion. This  is  what  Satan  claimed. 
When  he  appeared  to  Christ  im  the  wilder- 
ness tempting  him,  he  showed  him  the 
kingdoms  of  the  world  and  said:  "All  these 
are  delivered  unto  me."  Christ,  by  not 
contradicting  him,  admitted  his  claim,  as- 
serting, however,  at  the  same  time  his  own 
independence  and  superior  authority.  "Get 
thee  hence,  Satan:  for  it  is  written.  Thou 
Shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  him 
only  Shalt  thou  serve." 

A  like  admission  and  claim  are  found 
in  the  words,  "The  prince  of  this  world 
Cometh,  and  hath  nothing  in  me."  I  once 
read  a  description  of  Satan  by  a  man  who 
said  he  had  seen  him.  He  described  him 
a'^  an  enormous  creature,  half  man  and  half 
bat,  with  cloven  feet  and  fingers  like  eagle 
claws,  and  his  tail  was  a  fiery  dart,  and 
smoke  and  flames  came  from  his  mouth, 
while  all  about  him  were  fumes  of  sulphur, 

(141) 


142  Applied  Theology. 

and  the  air  was  full  of  strange  and  un- 
oarthly  flashes  and  terrifying  sounds. 

Tlie  description  reminded  me  of  Apol- 
lyon  in  the  "Pilgrim's  Progress."  It  was  a 
faithful  picture  of  the  Satan  of  supersti- 
tion. Many  people  when  they  think  of 
Satan  think  of  such  a  creature.  Another 
article,  much  better  written,  in  the  same 
paper,  described  the  Satan  of  modern  phi- 
losophy. It  ridiculed  the  idea  of  "a  per- 
sonal devil."  It  regarded  Satan  as  the 
spirit  of  evil,  "an  abstraction  put  into  the 
concrete,"  an  "unknown  quantity  represent- 
ing the  origin  and  highest  degree  of  sin." 
As  I  read,  Satan  seemed  to  vanish,  not 
according  to  the  popular  idea,  in  smoke 
and  the  odor  of  brimstone,  but  in  a  mist 
of  sneers  and  learned  phrases. 

One  conception  is  perhaps  as  accurate 
as  the  other,  but  neither  is  at  all  like  the 
Satan  of  the  Bible.  We  know  nothing  in 
regard  to  Satan's  outward  appearance.  He 
came  to  Eve  in  the  form  of  a  serpent,  and 
i^i  other  places  is  described  as  a  roaring 
Hon  and  "the  dragon."  The  words  may  be 
U£>ed  figuratively,  or  Satan  may  have  as- 
sumed the  forms.  He  certainly  did  take 
agreeable  forms,  as,  for  instance,  during 
the  temptation  of  Christ.  He  appeared 
sometimes  as  an  angel  of  light. 


The  Prince  of  this  Worla.  143 

As  to  his  character  and  history  we  are 
more  fully  informed.  He  was  originally 
holy  and  happy,  an  angel  of  high  rank 
among  the  hosts  of  heaven.  Through  sin 
he  fell  from  his  estate,  drawing  after  him 
multitudes  of  other  angels,  over  whom  he 
retains  power,  and  whose  leader  he  is  in 
warfare  on  all  that  is  good.  As  to  his  char- 
acter, if  there  is  anything  in  a  name,  his 
names  condemn  him.  He  is  the  "adver- 
sary," "the  enemy,"  "the  accuser,"  "the  de- 
stroyer," "the  devil/'  "the  deceiver,"  "liar," 
"tormentor,"  etc.  These  show  also  his  work. 
He  goes  about  to  deceive  and  torment  and 
destroy.  Other  names  indicate  his  dignity 
and  rulership  over  other  spirits  and  men. 
He  is  the  "prince  of  devils,"  the  "prince  of 
the  powers  of  the  air,"  the  "prince  of  this 
world,"  and  even  the  "god  of  this  world." 

As  the  prince  of  this  world,  "he  rules 
not  by  divine  right  nor  through  any  inher- 
itance, but  by  conquest."  The  Garden  of 
Eden  was  a  battlefield  in  which  his  cun- 
ning accomplished  more  than  the  general- 
ship of  all  the  ages.  Adam  and  Eve  were 
the  representatives  of  a  race,  and,  in  their 
subjection,  the  world  came  under  his  power, 
and,  as  a  strong  nation  possesses  and  rules 
a  conquered  province,  he  has  appointed  his 
officers  and  imposes  his  taxes  upon  it. 


144  Applied  Theology. 

His  officers  are  legion.  Some  are,  like 
himself,  fallen  angels.  Others  are  men  who 
have  yielded  themselves  unreservedly  to 
him.  These  do  his  will  and  he  pays  them 
their  wages;  to  some  money,  to  others 
pleasure,  to  others  fame  or  position  or 
power.  He  is  a  liberal  master,  but  hard 
and  deceitful.  He  can  afford  to  be  liberal, 
for  the  coin  of  his  realm  is  not  what  it 
seems.  It  does  not  satisfy  nor  meet  the 
necessities  of  those  who  labor  for  it.  "He 
that  loveth  silver  shall  not  be  satisfied  with 
silver."  There  are  pleasures  and  honors 
which  seem  good  to  men,  but  the  "ends 
thereof  are  the  ways  of  death."  Whatever 
he  may  promise  to  pay  or  seem  to  pay,  the 
wages  of  sin  are  always  death. 

His  subjects  are  heavily  taxed.  Every 
subject  must  pay  in  money  and  health  and 
peace  of  mind  for  the  curse  of  his  govern- 
ment. His  most  willing  subjects  pay  most. 
These  give  conscience  and  purity,  and  even 
their  very  souls.  Where  they  are  slow  in 
paying,  he  sends  his  agents,  demons  or  evil 
spirits.  These  do  not  enforce  collection,  but 
persuade  through  appetite,  passion,  pride 
and  ambition.  Sometimes  he  sends  other 
men,  who  tempt  through  good  fellowship 
or  evil  suggestion.  Often  he  uses  the  evil 
nature,  selecting  points  which  by  habit  or 


The  Prince  of  this  World.  145 

heredity  are  weakest.  At  his  touch  covet- 
cusness,  intemperance  and  licentiousness 
ripen  into  theft  and  adultery  and  murder. 

Satan's  authority  over  the  world  is  not 
undisputed.  The  hour  of  his  victory  in 
Eden  was  clouded  by  the  shadow  of  future 
defeat.  The  curse  pronounced  upon  his 
agent,  the  serpent,  was  pronounced  upon 
him.  The  seed  of  the  woman  should  bruise 
his  head.  This  was  the  prophecy  of  an- 
other conflict,  the  pledge  of  a  deliverer,  a 
child  of  Adam,  who  should  suffer,  but  in 
the  end  should  redeem  men. 

In  its  darkest  hours  the  world  has  never 
entirely  lost  sight  of  this  promise.  It  was 
the  hope  of  our  first  parents,  and  of  Abel 
and  Enoch,  and  Noah  and  Abraham.  It  in- 
spired David  to  sing  and  Isaiah  to  prophesy. 
It  was  the  battle-cry  of  a  holy  war;  a  re- 
bellion against  sin  begun  in  faith,  and  to 
be  carried  on  until  Messiah  should  come 
and  Satan  be  cast  out. 

With  the  ministry  of  Christ  the  expected 
conflict  began.  After  his  baptism  was  Jesus 
led  of  the  Spirit  into  the  wilderness  to  be 
tempted  of  the  devil.  We  can  imagine 
"silence"  in  heaven  like  that  described  in 
the  Book  of  Revelation.  The  angels  won- 
der and  wait.  The  fate  of  earth  is  in  the 
balance,  and  when,  after  three  assaults  and 


146  Applied  Theology. 

three  defeats,  Satan  leaves  the  field,  heaven 
rejoices  and  angels  minister  to  the  victo- 
rious Christ. 

The  battle  of  the  wilderness,  however, 
was  only  the  beginning  of  the  end.  Satan 
left,  only  to  return  at  other  times  and 
places.  He  who  had  come  "to  destroy  the 
works"  of  the  devil  must  be  himself  de- 
stroyed. For  three  years  his  path  was 
beset,  and  everything  which  cunning  or 
power  could  do  to  defeat  his  work  was 
done,  but  demons  and  evil  men,  enemies 
and  false  friends,  open  persecution  and 
secret  hate  failed  to  turn  him  from  his 
purpose.  He  had  meat  to  eat  and  grace  to 
sustain  which  men  knew  not  of.  Neither 
ambition  nor  fear  nor  bodily  distress  in- 
fluenced him. 

The  time  came  at  last  for  a  final  assault. 
Jesus  knew  it  and  prepared  his  disciples. 
"The  prince  of  this  world  cometh."  He  did 
not  disguise  his  trouble  of  soul.  "Now  is 
my  soul  troubled."  But  he  comforted  them 
with  assurances  of  triumph.  "The  prince 
of  this  world  cometh  and  hath  nothing  in 
me."  He  was  sure  of  accomplishing  his 
work.  The  serpent  would  bruise  his  heel, 
but  his  foot  would  be  upon  its  head.  Satan 
would  cause  him  to  suffer,  but  his  triumph 
was  certain,  for  Satan  had  nothing  in  him. 


The  Prince  of  this  World.  147 

There  is  a  law  of  aflanities  in  the  spiritual 
world.  Just  as  some  physical  substances 
attract  and  others  repel  each  other,  so  holi- 
ness attracts  holiness  and  repels  sin.  As  a 
cement  fastens  itself  upon  some  substances, 
and  will  not  fasten  upon  others,  so  Satan 
has  a  hold  upon  hearts  in  which  there  is 
sin,  but  had  no  hold  upon  Christ.  There 
was  nothing  in  Christ  upon  which  he  could 
fasten.  There  was  no  sin  upon  which  he 
could  hook  a  chain.  There  was  not  even  a 
flaw  in  his  righteousness  through  which  he 
could  thrust  a  dart.  Christ  knew  this,  and 
so  declared  in  advance  the  result.  Neither 
in  Gethsemane  nor  on  Calvary  did  Satan 
find  "anything  in  him." 

Christ's  victory  was  a  victory  not  only 
over  death,  but  over  "him  that  hath  the 
power  of  death,  even  the  devil."  It  was  a 
victory  both  for  himself  and  for  his  people. 
Before  he  came  Satan  had  something  in 
every  child  of  our  race.  Sin  was  a  barbed 
hook,  fastened;  and  gave  him  a  hold  which 
no  human  power  could  loosen.  Christ  has 
redeemed  all  who  trust  in  him.  He  has 
brought  in  a  righteousness  in  which  they 
are  secure.  Satan  may  come,  but  by  faith 
they  can  say,  "He  hath  nothing  in  me."  As 
the  years  pass  and  the  gospel  gains  power, 
the  rebellion  against  Satan  grows  in  extent. 


148  Applied  Theology. 

Even  now  it  is  filling  the  whole  earth,  and 
the  time,  we  hope,  is  not  far  distant  when 
Christ's  words  shall  be  fulfilled:  "Now  is 
the  judgment  of  this  world.  Now  shall  the 
prince  of  this  world  be  east  out." 


"EXACT  SCIENCE." 

Science  is  knowledge,  and  exact  science 
is  accurate  knowledge.  An  exact  scientist 
is  one  who  demands  proof  of  a  proposition 
before  he  accepts  and  teaches  it  as  true. 
He  who  theorizes  or  speculates  can  not  be 
so  classified.  A  mere  theory,  the  conclu- 
sions of  which  rest  on  supposed  facts,  is 
not  exact,  and,  indeed,  is  not  science,  ex- 
cept by  courtesy.  For  any  advocate  of  an 
unproved  hypothesis  to  talk  of  exact  science 
is  to  transfer  the  phrase  to  the  domain  of 
cant. 

Every  Christian  should  be  an  exact  scien- 
tist. Not  only  should  he  be  able  to  give  a 
reason  for  his  hope,  but  he  should  demand 
demonstration  before  accepting  new  theo- 
ries. As  Paul  expresses  it,  he  should  "prove 
all  things,"  and  "hold  fast  that  which  is 
good."  The  gospel,  in  which  he  believes, 
has  been  proved.  The  Spirit,  witnessing 
with  his  spirit,  tells  him  that  it  is  true. 
The  life  of  Christ,  which  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  end  was  a  fulfillment  of  proph- 
ecy, proves  it  true.  The  resurrection  of  the 
dead,  certified  to  by  witnesses,  proves  it 

(149) 


150  Applied  Theology. 

true.  More  than  this,  the  fruit  of  Chris- 
tianity establishes  it  as  the  true  religion. 
Wherever  it  goes,  civilization  and  safety 
follow.  Its  principles  are  the  foundations 
of  prosperity.  It  turns  the  wilderness  into 
fruitful  fields,  and  heathen  cannibals  into 
good  men  and  women.  Were  infidelity  to 
do  this,  it  would  have  some  claim  to  atten- 
tion. Christianity  cares  for  the  sick  and 
the  poor;  it  builds  hospitals  and  orphan 
asylums,  and  promotes  morality  and  unself- 
ishness and  obedience  to  law.  If  skepti- 
cism did  these  things,  they  would  be  some- 
what in  its  favor.  Christianity  does  them. 
For  eighteen  centuries  it  has  clothed  the 
naked,  and  fed  the  hungry,  and  lifted  up 
those  that  were  bowed  down.  If  it  had  no 
other  proof,  this  would  be  enough  to  com- 
mend it  above  all  the  contrary  theories, 
wise  or  otherwise,  which  have  ever  been 
devised. 

When  skeptical  philosophy,  therefore, 
mocks  at  our  Bible,  with  its  story  of  cre- 
ation and  its  plan  of  salvation,  let  us  ask 
for  something  better,  or  at  least  as  good. 
Some  advice  which  I  once  received  from  an 
old  Indian  guide,  as  we  were  entering  a 
vast  swamp,  is  not  inappropriate  by  way  of 
illustration.  Said  he:  "When  you're  going 
through  a  cedar  swamp,  never  take  up  one 


Exact  Science.  151 

foot  till  you've  found  a  solid  place  for  the 
other."  When  science  so-called  asks  us  to 
leave  Christianity  for  the  ground  it  offers, 
we  may  ask  it  to  prove  that  it  is  really 
science;  that  its  facts  are  real  facts  and  not 
guesses,  and  that  the  gaps  in  its  hypotheses 
will  not  let  us  through  into  mire  deeper 
than  that  of  a  cedar  swamp. 


"SCIENCE  FALSELY  SO  CALLED." 

A  radical  writer  regards  this  phrase  as 
"objectionable,"  "belonging  to  the  diction- 
ary of  cant,"  and  "one  which  no  reputable 
writer  would  use."  It  may  be  answered 
that  Paul  the  apostle,  a  reputable  writer 
in  the  judgment  of  most  men,  used  the 
words,  and  that  other  writers,  esteemed  for 
learning  and  piety,  have  also  used  them. 
That  they  have  become  cant  may  be  admit- 
ted. Good  expressions  of  truth  are  apt  to 
bo  used  thoughtlessly  and  too  frequently. 
Science  could  hardly  do  without  its  cant 
phrases,  and  the  fact  that  men  use  them 
carelessly  does  not  lessen  their  truth.  Many 
quotations  from  the  Bible  are  used  hypo- 
critically, and  become  cant,  but  this  does 
not  condemn  them.  The  invitation,  "Come 
to  Jesus,"  and  the  prayer,  "Revive  thy 
work,"   are   cant  when   uttered   carelessly. 

Whether  the  phrase  "Science  falsely  so 
called"  is  "objectionable"  depends  upon  the 
way  it  is  used.  Paul  was  no  narrow-minded 
ecclesiastic.  He  saw  no  controversy  be- 
tween religion  and  science.  He  was  thor- 
oughly educated  in  the  wisdom  of  his  time, 
(152) 


"Science  Falsely  So-Galled"        153 

and  used  the  words  as  any  true  scientist 
of  to-day  migtit  use  them.  There  is  a  sci- 
ence properly  so  called  which  deals  in  facts 
and  proceeds  according  to  established  laws; 
and  there  is  a  "science  so  called"  which 
theorizes,  and  if  suitable  facts  are  not  at 
hand,  anticipates,  or  imagines,  or  does  with- 
out them.  The  two  are  sometimes  so  closely 
associated  that  careful  study  is  required  to 
distinguish  them. 

Here,  for  instance,  is  a  book  twenty  years 
old.  It  deals  with  certain  fossil  bones  of 
animals  in  an  intelligent  way.  The  writer, 
however,  proceeds  to  answer  the  question, 
"Who  was  the  first  man?"  by  a  prediction 
that  his  bones  will  some  time  be  found  in 
the  earlier  rocks.  He  has  found  no  trace 
of  them,  nor  has  any  one  else,  yet  he  gives 
a  pen-picture  of  a  man-like  animal  as  the 
father  of  our  race.  His  hypothesis,  which 
has  since  been  generally  repudiated,  is  an 
illustration  of  "science  falsely  so  called." 

When  one  investigates  nature  and  makes 
discoveries,  and  classifies  objects,  he  is  a 
true  scientist;  but  when  he  draws  a  pic- 
ture of  a  gorilla  and  calls  it  the  first  man, 
admitting  that  no  link  connecting  man  with 
such  a  creature  is  known,  he  is  simply 
guessing,  and  his  guesses  are  as  valuable, 
and  no  more  so,  than  those  of  an  unedu- 

(11) 


154  Applied  Theology. 

cated  man.  His  picture  is  as  liable  to  be 
accurate  as  that  which  a  child  would  draw. 
When  one  finds  a  new  substance  or  a  new 
force  and  teaches  men  to  use  it.  he  is  a 
benefactor;  but  when  he  begins  to  recon- 
struct the  universe  and  to  resolve  all  things 
into  electricity,  and  to  displace  the  Creator, 
be  is  a  dreamer,  and  his  work  is  of  no 
practical  use.  To  call  it  science  is  a  mis- 
nomer.   It  is  "science  falsely  so  called." 


THE  CHURCH. 

The  church  is  a  divine  institution.  God 
has  established  it,  and  given  it  a  ministry, 
with  other  officers,  and  committed  to  it  his 
oracles.  As  Moses  made  all  things  accord- 
ing to  the  pattern  shown  him  in  the  mount, 
so  the  apostles,  in  establishing  the  New  Tes- 
tament church,  followed  the  pattern  shown 
them  by  the  Spirit  given  at  Pentecost. 

God  might  have  chosen  a  ministry  of 
angels,  and  his  message  might  have  been 
declared  with  trumpets  from  the  tops  of 
mountains.  That  he  chose  men  and  estab- 
lished the  church  is  evidence  that  this  was 
the  wiser  plan.  Moreover,  when  we  con- 
sider his  purpose  and  the  need  of  mankind, 
the  wisdom  of  the  plan  is  apparent.  The 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  set  up  on  earth. 
Christianity  is  an  organized  force.  Every 
convert  is  a  recruit.  Every  disciple  is 
chosen  and  ordained  to  bring  forth  fruit. 
In  union  there  is  not  only  strength,  but 
confidence,  steadiness  of  purpose,  a  view  of 
the  whole  field,  and  the  possibility  of  meet- 
ing the  command  to  preach  the  Gospel  to 
every  creature. 

(155) 


156  Applied  Theology. 

No  one  who  desires  to  do  his  part  in  win- 
ning the  world  to  Christ  can  ignore  the 
church.  It  is  the  Lord's  host.  It  carries 
his  banner.  Its  members  have  his  mark 
and  bear  his  name.  They  may  be  enrolled 
in  different  companies,  under  different  lead- 
ers, and  may  differ  in  minor  matters,  but 
all  acknowledge  him  as  the  Captain  of  sal- 
vation and  their  Leader  and  Lord. 

It  is  the  divine  plan  that  every  convert 
shall  acknowledge  Christ  and  be  known  as 
his.  There  are  no  special  commissions  for 
free  lances  or  for  sub-rosa  service.  He  that 
is  not  with  Christ  is  against  him. 

The  church  in  any  community  is  a  center 
of  organized  Christianity.  Every  member 
adds  to  its  power.  The  churches  in  a  larger 
territory,  operating  together  with  mission- 
ary organizations,  schools,  etc.,  bless  the 
whole  land  and  the  dark  places  of  the  earth. 
No  Christian  should  stand  apart  and  so 
fail  to  do  his  share  in  the  church's  work. 

Christians  not  only  owe  service  to  the 
church,  but  need  the  help  of  the  church. 
No  man  liveth  unto  himself  or  by  himself. 
If  "evil  communications  corrupt  good  man- 
ners," good  communications  promote  them. 
It  is  easier  to  be  a  Christian  among  Chris- 
tians than  among  unbelievers.  It  is  easier 
to   maintain   a  high   standard   when   men 


The  Church.  157 


know  that  one  strives  and  sympatliizes  with 
him.  There  is  encouragement  to  the  sol- 
dier in  the  fact  that  at  his  right  and  left 
are  other  soldiers,  and  beyond  them  still 
others,  and  that  over  all  is  a  commander 
who  sees  and  directs  every  movement. 

It  was  an  advantage  to  the  Jew  that  to 
his  nation  were  committed  the  oracles  of 
God.  So  it  is  an  inestimable  advantage  to 
the  Christian  to  belong  to  the  church  which 
has  the  oracles  and  ordinances.  These  are 
means  of  grace  which  God  has  appointed, 
and  without  which  the  highest  spiritual 
success  is  impossible. 


CHURCH  ATTENDANCE. 

There  were  some  in  Malachi's  day  who 
said:  "What  profit  is  it  that  we  have  kept 
his  ordinances?"  So  now  some  ask:  What 
good  does  it  do  to  attend  church?  They 
may  not  put  the  question  in  this  form,  but 
vacant  seats  speak  louder  than  words. 

Well,  suppose  we  do  not  see  that  it  does 
any  good.  Shall  we  disobey  God's  com- 
mand because  we  see  no  good  in  it?  The 
Bible  says:  "Forsake  not  the  assembling  of 
yourselves  together,  as  the  manner  of  some 
is."  Shall  a  child  refuse  to  obey  the  plain 
command  of  its  parents  because  it  sees  no 
good  in  the  command? 

It  does  a  great  deal  of  good  to  attend 
church.  First,  one  hears  the  Gospel.  Of 
course  we  can  read  this  at  home  or  at 
other  places,  but  God  makes  the  preaching 
of  the  Gospel  the  means  of  saving  men. 
All  who  wish  to  be  saved  should  attend 
church.  So  should  all.  whether  believers 
in  Christ  or  not,  who  feel  that  they  are  not 
so  good  as  they  would  like  to  be.  To  grow 
in  grace  we  should  attend  the  means  of 
grace,  and  one  of  these  is  the  regular 
(  158  ) 


Church  Attendance.  159 

preaching  of  the  Word;  others  are  the  ordi- 
nances and  other  services  of  the  church. 

Church-going  is  a  part  of  the  Christ-like- 
ness which  all  ^ould  cultivate.  H©  en- 
tered into  the  synagogue  on  the  Sahbath 
day,  as  was  his  custom. 

Church-going  does  good  not  only  to  the 
church-goer,  but  to  others.  It  does  good  to 
the  family.  It  makes  men  more  faithful  to 
duty.  It  makes  husbands  and  wives  kinder 
to  each  other.  It  makes  children  more  obe- 
dient to  parents.  It  makes  children,  as 
v/ell  as  grown  people,  purer  in  their  lan- 
guage and  more  honest  in  all  things.  It  is 
good  for  the  community.  It  makes  better 
citizens  and  safer  business  men. 

Church-going  sets  a  good  example.  It 
commends  religion  to  the  world.  It  is  a 
constantly  repeated  confession  of  faith.  It 
is  an  effective  way  of  letting  one's  light 
shine,  and  so  of  glorifying  God  and  leading 
others  to  glorify  him.  It  brings  one  into 
line  with  the  forces  of  righteousness,  and 
so  encourages  and  strengthens  those  who 
labor  to  elevate  humanity.  It  increases 
interest  in  the  kingdom  of  God  and  in  the 
means  used  to  extend  it,  and  invites  oppor- 
tunities to  take  part  in  the  great  work. 

Church-going  is  a  strength  to  those  who 
are  in  doubt,  a  relief  to  those  in  trouble, 


160  Applied  Theology. 

a  comfort  to  those  whose  friends  have  been 
taken  away.  It  is  a  reminder  of  our  rela- 
tion to  Christ,  and  of  heaven,  our  future 
home.  All  this  it  is  because  of  the  Gospel 
preached  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath. 


CHRISTIAN  UNITY. 

All  good  people  desire  Christian  unity. 
Tiie  Psalmist  spoke  of  it  as  "good  and 
pleasant."  Paul  urged  it.  The  Savior 
prayed  for  it. 

Christian  unity  is  good  not  only  in  itself, 
but  for  its  influence  on  the  world.  It  is 
testimony  to  the  truth  of  Christianity.  The 
natural  heart  is  selfish,  envious,  and  in- 
clined to  strife.  Every  man  seeks  his  own. 
A  gospel  manifest  in  love,  peace  and  help- 
fulness proves  its  divine  origin.  Where 
men  look  not  every  man  on  his  own  things 
and  the  things  of  his  own  denomination, 
but  every  man  also  on  the  things  of  others, 
the  world  sees  that  Christ,  whose  example 
and  commands  they  follow,  was  indeed  sent 
of  God.  Hence  Christ's  prayer,  "that  they 
all  may  be  one,  that  the  world  may  know 
that  thou  hast  sent  me." 

All  truth  may  be  misunderstood  and  mis- 
applied, and  no  truth  is  so  liable  to  mis- 
application as  that  which  appeals  to  the 
heart  rather  than  to  the  intellect.  That 
Christ  desired  and  prayed  for  the  unity  of 
his  people  is  such  a  truth.     It  is  so  large 

(161) 


162  Applied  Theology. 

and  so  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  the 
Gospel  that  one  may  dwell  on  and  delight 
in  it  to  the  neglect  of  other  equally  impor- 
tant truths. 

Christ  did  not  pray  that  all  people  might 
be  one,  but  that  those  who  "believe"  in 
him,  who  are  "given'*  to  him,  who  "know 
God  and  Jesus  Christ"  whom  he  has  sent, 
who  are  not  of  the  world  as  he  was  not  of 
the  world,  might  be  one,  even  as  he  and 
the  Father  are  one.  Christian  unity  is  the 
unity  ofl  true  believers.  A  recent  writ(=r  ad- 
vocates the  union  of  a  denomination  which 
believes  in  the  deity  of  Christ  with  one 
which  denies  his  deity.  Christ  did  not  pray 
that  his  disciples  should  be  one  with  those 
who  deny  the  unity  ©f  the  Father  and  the 
Son. 

Christian  unity  does  not  mean  the  union 
of  all  Christians  in  one  ecclesiastical  organ- 
ization, under  one  government.  Such  union 
existed  when  Roman  Catholicism  domi- 
nated the  world,  and  those  who  denied 
its  authority  were  subject  to  persecution. 
Christ  did  not  pray  that  his  disciples  should 
be  one  as  the  Church  was  one  during  the 
Dark  Ages.  He  did  not  pray  for  such  one- 
ness as  exists  in  Russia,  where  the  State 
Church  dominates  the  consciences  of  a  hun- 
dred million  of  people. 


Christian  Unity.  163 

Christ  certainly  did  not  condemn  in  ad- 
vance those  who  in  after  years  should  pro- 
test against  ecclesiastical  corruption  and 
tyranny.  He  did  not  pray  that  the  oneness 
of  Rome  should  be  maintained  against  the 
efforts  of  Luther  and  Huss  and  Knox.  He 
did  not  pray  for  the  failure  of  any  denomi- 
nation which,  in  loyalty  to  him  and  to  the 
truth  as  it  apprehends  it,  maintains  its  sep- 
arate orginiz.alion. 

Christian  unity  is  not  an  organization, 
but  a  spirit.  It  is  love  of  the  brethren  and 
of  the  cause  and  of  the  Master.  It  is  com- 
mon interest  in  the  triumph  of  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  on  earth.  A  devoted  mis- 
sionary prayed  God  to  bl«ss  "every  one 
who  will  help  to  heal  the  oi)en  sore  of  the 
world."  He  who  has  the  spirit  of  Christ, 
which  is  the  spirit  of  unity,  prays  God  to 
bless  every  church,  no  matter  whsit  its 
name  or  distinctive  doctrines,  which  truly 
seeks  to  advance  the  cauae  of  Christ.  He 
delights  not  in  contentions,  but  in  agree- 
ment. He  may  hold  fast  the  articles  of  his 
creed  which  separate  him  from  others,  but 
he  rejoices  that  all  evangelical  creeds  are 
in  harmony  touching  so  much  truth. 

Christian  unity  is  a  matter  of  loyalty  to 
Christ.  Organic  union  of  Christian  churches 
may  be  a  matter  of  expedience  or  convic- 


164  Applied  Theology. 

tions,  or  even  of  disposition,  or  of  language 
or  location.  Organic  union  is  desirable 
where  denominations  can  see  eye  to  eye, 
and  can  work  more  effectively  together 
than  apart  Christian  unity  manifest  Id 
mutual  esteem,  a  common  love  for  the  lost 
and  co-operation  in  the  work,  is  testimon 
to  the  Messiahship  of  our  Lord. 

Organic  union  may  come  in  time.  The 
different  churches  are  more  and  more  in 
clined  to  emphasize  points  of  agreement 
Presbyterian  Churches  are  nearer  together 
than  they  were;  so  are  the  different  Bap- 
tist and  Methodist  Churches.  But  unity 
need  not  wait  on  union.  Christians  can 
love  one  another  and  work  together,  while 
agreeing  to  differ  as  to  points  of  doctrine, 
government  and  worship.  Indeed,  unity  is 
the  way  to  union.  Attempts  to  force  union 
often  end  in  strife,  and  pleas  for  union  may 
be  only  philippics  against  denominational- 
ism;  but  when  love  has  its  way,  differences 
and  difficulties  disappear. 


THE   SACRAMENTS. 

Sacraments  are  object  lessons.  "A  sac 
rament  is  a  holy  ordinance  instituted  by 
Christ;  wherein,  by  sensible  signs,  Chrisi 
and  the  benefits  of  the  new  covenant  are 
represented,  sealed  and  applied  to  be 
lievers."  The  spirit  makes  not  only  the 
reading  and  preaching  of  the  Word,  but 
also  its  illustration  by  sacraments,  the 
means  of  salvation  and  sanctification. 

A  sacrament  is  first  of  all  "instituted  by 
Christ."  It  is  a  "holy  ordinance,"  designed 
to  teach  a  spiritual  truth.  It  does  this  by 
the  use  of  some  "sensible  sign"  or  cere- 
mony, in  which  Christ  and  his  benefits  are 
shown  forth  and  our  interest  in  them  de- 
clared. It  further  establishes  a  line  be- 
tween those  who  are  in  the  visible  Church 
and  those  who  are  not. 

The  sacraments  of  the  Old  Testament 
Church,  divinely  instituted,  were  Circum- 
cision and  the  Passover.  Those  of  the  New 
Testament  Church  are  Baptism  and  the 
Lord's  Supper.  The  Roman  Church  holds 
that  marriage,  penance,  extreme  unction, 
confirmation  and  holy  orders  are  al3o  sac- 

(  165  ) 


166  Applied  Theology. 

raments;  but  these  are  not  "sensible  signs," 
showing  forth  spiritual  truth.  They  may 
bo  important  in  themselves,  but  do  not 
represent,  seal  and  apply  the  benefits  of 
the  new  covenant.  Moreover,  they  are  not 
divinely  instituted  to  this  end,  and  do  not 
in  any  way  show  the  differences  between 
those  who  are  and  are  not  in  the  Church. 
In  baptism  the  visible  sign  or  ceremonial 
is  the  "washing  with  water  in  the  name  of 
the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,"  and  the  thing  signified  is  "our  en- 
grafting into  Christ,"  our  "partaking  of  the 
benefits  of  the  covenant  of  grace,  and  our 
engagement  to  be  the  Lord's."  The  sacra- 
ment has  no  saving  power.  It  is  a  sign  and 
seal  of  an  engagement  already  made  and  a 
relation  already  established.  One  is  not  a 
Christian  because  he  is  baptized,  but  is  bap- 
tized because  he  has  received  Christ,  and 
rests  upon  him  for  salvation.  The  infant 
children  of  believers  are  baptized,  not  to 
bring  them  into  the  church,  but  because 
they  are  born  in  the  church.  They  are  bap- 
tized upon  the  faith  of  their  parents,  who 
pledge  to  bring  them  up  in  the  nurture  and 
admonition  of  the  Lord,  and  it  is  to  be  con- 
fidently expected  that  when  they  arrive  at 
rears  of  discretion  they  will  themselves  as- 


The  Sacraments.  167 

sume  the  vows  which  their  parents  assume 
for  them. 

Every  baptism  has  a  lesson  for  those  who 
witness  it.  Christians  are  reminded  of  their 
own  vows  of  separation  from  the  world  and 
union  with  Christ.  Those  without  are  sol- 
emnly admonished  as  to  duty.  Where  a 
child  is  baptized,  all  Christian  parents  are 
reminded  that  they,  too,  have  taken  vows; 
and  all  baptized  children,  that  they  are  of 
the  household  of  faith,  and  have  privileges 
and  are  under  solemn  obligations. 

In  the  Lord's  Supper  the  visible  sign  is 
the  "giving  and  receiving  of  bread  and  wine 
sccording  to  Christ's  appointment."  The 
thing  represented  is  Christ's  death  for  us 
upon  the  cross.  "As  often  as  ye  eat  this 
bread  and  drink  this  cup  ye  do  show  the 
Lord's  death  until  he  come."  Speaking  of 
the  Passover,  Moses  instructed  the  Jews 
that  when  their  children  should  ask  as  to 
its  meaning,  they  should  say:  "This  is  done 
because  of  what  the  Lord  did  in  the  day 
that  the  Lord  brought  me  out  of  the  land 
of  Egypt."  The  Passover  was  a  memorial 
of  what  God  had  done.  The  unleavened 
bread,  the  bitter  herbs  and  the  lamb,  all 
reminded  them  of  their  deliverance.  There 
was  a  lesson  also  as  to  the  future.     The 


168  Applied  Theology. 


lamb  represented  not  only  the  lamb  whose 
blood  was  sprinkled  upon  the  doors,  but 
also  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world.  They  looked  back  to  Egypt  and 
forward  to  Calvary. 

The  Lord's  Supper  is  an  object  lesson  to 
the  church  and  the  world.  The  bread  and 
wine  represent  the  broken  body  and  shed 
blood  of  Christ.  When  our  children  or 
others  ask,  "What  mean  ye  by  this  serv- 
ice?" we  say,  "This  is  what  the  Lord  did 
for  us  on  Calvary."  As  the  Jews  represented 
salvation  by  the  Passover,  so  we  represent 
it  by  the  Lord's  Supper.  We  were  lost  in 
sin.  A  darkness  denser  and  more  hopeless 
than  that  of  Egypt  had  settled  upon  us. 
There  was  no  eye  to  pity  and  no  arm  to 
aave,  when  God's  eye  pitied  and  his  arm 
brought    salvation. 

Like  the  Passover,  the  Lord's  Supper  is 
a  prophecy  as  well  as  a  memorial.  It  is  to 
be  observed  "until  he  come."  It  looks  for- 
ward to  the  time  when  Christ,  who  suffered 
and  died  and  rose  from  the  dead,  shall 
come  again  without  sin  unto  salvation.  It 
la  a  reminder  of  two  great  facts:  the  atone- 
ment for  sin.  and  the  final  triumph  of  the 
Redeemer.  He  who  poured  out  his  soul 
unto  death  is  to  see  of  the  travail  of  his 
soul   and   be   satisfied.     He   who   humbled 


The  Sacraments.  169 

himself  and  became  obedient  unto  death  is 
to  be  highly  exalted,  and  his  name  is  to  be 
above  every  name,  and  the  whole  earth  is 
to  bow  to  him. 

The  Lord's  Supper  is  a  profitable  ordi- 
nance. Worthy  receivers  feed  upon  Christ. 
They  are,  not  after  a  corporal  or  carnal 
manner,  but  by  faith,  made  partakers  of 
his  body  and  blood,  with  all  its  benefits  to 
their  spiritual  nourishment  and  growth  in 
grace. 


(12) 


SELF-EXAMINATION. 

The  chief  end  of  self-examination  is  not 
to  determine  whether  one  is  a  sinner. 
Every  one  of  sound  mind  knows  that  he  is 
a  sinner.  It  is  not  to  find  out  whether  he 
has  particular  evil  habits  or  is  neglectful 
of  duty.  These  are  important,  but  not  the 
chief  thing.  Paul  says:  "Examine  your- 
selves, whether  ye  be  in  the  faith."  The 
first  thing  to  determine  is,  whether  one  is 
a  Christian — whether  he  is  "in  the  faith," 
or  "  in  Christ."  Again  he  says:  "Let  a  man 
examine  himself,  and  so  let  him  eat  of  that 
bread  and  drink  of  that  cup,  lest  coming 
unworthily  he  eat  and  drink  judgment  to 
himself." 

A  service  preparatory  to  communion  with 
self-examination  is  not  that  one  may  render 
himself  worthy,  for  no  one  can  do  this,  but 
that  he  may  come  "worthily."  If  he  come 
in  faith,  he  comes  worthily.  True,  he  is  a 
sinner,  and  has  been  neglectful,  and  has 
easily  besetting  sins.  All  that  Christ  re- 
quires of  those  who  come  to  his  table  is 
that  they  are  his;  that  they  stand  in  right 
relation  to  him.  That  relation  is  one  of 
(170) 


Belf-Examination.  171 

humility,  penitence  and  faith.  It  is  also 
one  of  new  obedience,  for  no  man  can  prop- 
erly examine  himself  as  to  his  relation  to 
Christ  without  resolving  to  serve  him  more 
faithfully. 

The  question  to  be  settled  by  self-ex- 
amination, either  when  coming  to  the  com- 
munion table  or  at  any  time,  is  the  ques- 
tion upon  which  our  future  will  depend  at 
the  day  of  judgment. 

Self-examination  may  be  a  sore  trial  and 
altogether  unsatisfactory.  If  one  simply 
tries  to  find  out  his  sins,  he  will  be  over- 
whelmed. If  his  thoughts  rest  on  his  rela- 
tion to  Christ,  his  song  will  be:  "Blessed  is 
the  man  whose  transgression  is  forgiven, 
whose  sin  is  covered."  His  prayer  will  be: 
"Search  me,  O  God,  and  know  my  heart; 
try  me  and  know  my  thoughts,  and  see  if 
there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me,  and  lead 
me  in  the  way  everlasting." 

He  whose  heart  is  right  will  take  heed  to 
his  ways.  He  who  trusts  in  Christ  will  re- 
pent of  and  forsake  his  sin.  Though  he 
fall  seven  times,  yet  will  he  rise  again.  He 
who  is  "in  the  faith"  will  seek  to  live  the 
life  of  faith,  but  his  mind  will  not  contin- 
ually rest  upon  his  sin.  He  will  not  con- 
tinue in  sin  or  ignore  it,  or  think  light  of 
it.    "How  shall  we,  who  are  dead  to  sin. 


172  Applied  Theology. 

continue  any  longer  therein?"  How  shall 
one  whose  life  "is  hid  with  Christ  in  God" 
live  a  Christless,  godless  life?  Self-ex- 
amination, like  the  observation  by  the  cap- 
tain of  a  ship  at  sea,  is  to  determine  the 
course.  How  shall  a  captain  who  has  set- 
tled his  course  sail  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion? How  shall  one  who  is  in  Christ,  and 
is  going  to  heaven,  turn  aside  or  yield  to 
sin?  He  who  delights  in  sin  may  well  ques- 
tion whether  he  is  truly  "in  the  faith/'  They 
who  journey  to  Zion  have  their  "faces 
thitherward."  He  whose  face  is  the  other 
way  is  ordinarily  going  to  some  other  place. 


IDOLATRY. 

It  is  a  sin  to  worship  an  idol.  It  makes 
no  difference  whether  the  idol  is  of  gold 
or  of  lead,  or  is  a  person,  or  property,  or 
position.  The  first  principle  of  the  divine 
government  is  that  God  alone  is  entitled  to 
worship.  He  must  be  first  in  the  affections 
and  service  of  men.  "Thou  shalt  have  no 
other  gods  before  me."  Our  Savior's  inter- 
pretation of  this  is,  "Thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart  and  with 
all  thy  soul  and  with  all  thy  mind." 

The  requirements  of  the  first  command- 
ment are  positive  as  well  as  negative.  It 
is  so  with  all  the  commandments.  "Thou 
shalt  not"  always  involves  "Thou  shalt." 
The  prohibition  of  other  gods  requires  the 
worship  of  the  true  God.  He  is  entitled  to 
faith  and  service  and  praise.  The  day 
which  he  has  set  apart  is  to  be  a  day  of 
rest  and  worship.  His  sanctuary  is  to  be 
regarded.  "Enter  into  his  gates  with 
thanksgiving  and  into  his  courts  with 
praise."  "Give  unto  the  Lord  the  glory 
due  unto  his  name."  Unbelief,  irreverence, 
indifference,    selfishness   and   sensuous   in- 

(173) 


174  Applied  Theology. 

duigence  are  forms  of  idolatry.  It  is  idol- 
atrous to  worship  and  serve  "the  creature 
more  than  the  Creator,"  whether  the  crea- 
ture be  another  person  or  one's  own  self. 
When  the  apostle  says  of  some  that  their 
"god  is  their  belly,"  he  describes  in  none 
too  vigorous  language  those  who  make  sen- 
sual indulgence  their  chief  end,  giving  to 
appetite  and  passion  the  place  which  be- 
longs to  God. 

Our  Savior  said:  "Take  heed  and  beware 
oc  covetousness."  And  again  we  read  of 
"covetousness  which  is  idolatry."  He  who 
makes  it  his  chief  end  to  be  rich  or  to 
attain  a  high  position,  or  to  serve  any  self- 
ish purpose,  gives  to  something  else  the 
first  place  in  his  affections.  He  may  not 
think  of  it  as  a  god  or  realize  that  his  devo- 
tion is  worship,  but  he  violates  the  spirit 
of  the  command:  "Thou  shalt  have  no  other 
gods  before  me." 

There  is  little  temptation  in  our  day  to 
make  graven  images  or  to  bow  before  and 
worship  them;  but  sensuality,  and  ambition, 
and  personal  ease,  and  inordinate  earthly 
affection  have  their  devotees.  It  is  easy  to 
magnify  and  give  them  the  supreme  place 
in  the  heart.  Whereas  God's  command  is: 
"Give  me  thy  heart,"  "Delight  thyself  in 


Idolatry.  175 


tlie  Lord,"  "Worstiip  tlie  Lord  in  the  beauty 
of  holiness."  The  chief  end  of  man  is  to 
glorify  him,  and  he  who  fails,  giving  his 
first  affection  to  any  other  object,  is  an 
idolater. 


PROFANITY. 

Sin  is  always  unreasonable  and  inex- 
cusable, but  no  sin  is  more  unreasonable 
or  inexcusable  than  profanity.  At  the  same 
time,  it  is  prevalent,  and  causes  grievous 
evil.  "Because  of  swearing,"  said  Jere- 
miah, "the  land  mourneth."  Profanity  was 
a  cause  and  a  symptom  of  the  desperate 
wickedness  of  the  Jews  before  the  captiv- 
ity. We  may  echo  the  words:  our  land 
mourns  because  of  swearing.  Vices,  like 
virtues,  go  in  clusters,  and  profanity  is  one 
of  the  most  wicked  and  harmful  of  the 
black  kinship.  It  was  associated  in  Jere- 
miah's day  with  "lying,  killing,  stealing 
and  committing  adultery."  The  association 
was  natural.  Men  who  violate  one  com- 
ma'nd  of  God's  law  are  apt  to  hold  the  other 
nine  lightly.  They  are  equally  sure  to  dis- 
regard human  laws. 

Swearing  is  a  habit  to  which  Impulsive 
people  are  specially  prone.  Their  surprise 
or  pleasure  or  anger  expresses  itself  in  ex- 
clamations. The  use  of  particular  words 
becomes  habitual.  The  divine  name,  which 
should  be  sacred,  and  the  call  for  curses 
(176) 


Profanity.  177 


upon  those  who  offend,  are  uttered  almost 
unconsciously.  Some  excuse  themselves  on 
this  ground.  They  would  rejoice  to  be  free 
from  the  habit,  but  can  not  overcome  it. 
This  is  the  plea  of  some  who,  though  pro- 
fane with  their,  fellow  men,  can  pass  time 
in  the  society  of  ladies  without  even  a  slang 
exclamation.  They  control  their  words 
when  the  need  of  control  is  felt.  A  realiza- 
tion that  swearing  is  sinful  would  be  a  step 
toward  overcoming  it. 

Profanity  is  offensive  to  good  people. 
They  may  keep  silent,  but  they  are  shocked 
and  hurt  by  profane  words.  Hence  the 
same  courtesy  which  causes  the  swearer  to 
refrain  his  lips  when  talking  with  ladles 
should  make  him  careful  when  any, 
whether  acquaintances  or  not,  are  within 
hearing.  Particularly  should  he  be  careful 
in  the  presence  of  children.  A  Christian 
mother  would  rather  herself  hear  profane 
words  than  to  have  her  children  hear  them. 
She  may  make  no  remonstrance,  but  is 
nevertheless  insulted  and  injured  by  the 
man  who  forces  her  children  to  hear  his 
bad  language. 

More  important  than  this  is  the  truth 
that  the  habit  is  offensive  to  God.  To  take 
his  name  in  vain  is  an  insult  to  him.  In 
his  sight  the  swearer  is  guilty.    The  third 


178  Applied  Theology. 

commandment  has  an  emphasis  in  addition 
to  the  usual  "Thou  shalt  not."  God  adds: 
"I  will  not  hold  him  guiltless"  who  violates 
this  command.  We  may  affirm  this  of  all  the 
commandments,  but  here  God  declares  it 

God's  name  is  taken  in  vain  when  men 
speak  carelessly  and  irreverently  of  him 
or  his  attributes,  when  they  worship  him 
hypocritically,  and  when  they  swear  falsely, 
as  well  as  when  they  use  profane  language. 
There  are  laws  against  perjury,  blasphemy 
and  profanity,  but  they  are  seldom  en- 
forced. Violators  have  little  fear  of  pun- 
ishment by  men,  and  so  esteem  the  law 
lightly.  This  may  be  the  reason  for  the 
added  assertion  that  the  Lord  will  not  hold 
them  guiltless. 

Much  of  the  slang  prevalent  In  our  day 
is  really  profane.  Christ  said:  "Swear  not 
at  all,"  "neither  by  heaven"  "nor  by  Jeru- 
salem," "nor  by  thy  head."  James  said: 
"Neither  by  heaven,  neither  by  earth, 
neither  by  any  other  oath,  but  let  your  vea 
be  yea  and  your  nay,  nay,  lest  ye  fall  into 
condemnation."  In  writing,  italics  are  used 
for  emphasis,  but  italics  freely  used  lose 
their  force;  so  the  constant  use  of  profane 
or  slangy  words  destroys  their  force  and 
leaves  only  their  offense. 

Malicious    and    slanderous    words    have 


Profanity.  179 


been  called  "first  cousins  in  sin  to  profane 
ones."  They  cause  pain.  They  are  the 
beginnings  of  strife.  They  destroy  friend- 
ships. They  are  sparks  liable  to  set  on  fire 
the  family  and  the  church.  Paul  says: 
"Let  all  bitterness  and  evil  speaking  be  put 
away  from  you,  with  all  malice." 

The  best  cure  for  profanity  is  a  profound 
realization  of  the  truth,  "Thou,  God,  seest 
me,"  and  hearest  me.  A  certain  court 
chaplain  once  rebuked  a  nobleman  for  pro- 
fanity, and  when  told  that  he  could  not 
help  it,  replied:  "You  never  swear  in  the 
presence  of  the  king.  I  remind  you  of  the 
King  of  kings."  "For  there  is  not  a  word 
in  my  tongue  but,  lo,  O  Lord,  thou  knowest 
it  altogether." 


THE    SABBATH. 

God  is  entitled  to  and  claims  a  share 
of  man's  time,  and  it  is  man's  interesc 
to  recognize  the  claim.  The  Sabbath  was 
made  for  man.  God  rested  after  the  cre- 
ation, and  sanctified  the  Sabbath  day,  not 
because  he  needed  rest,  but  because  man, 
whom  he  had  created,  would  need  it.  He 
hallowed  the  day  because  man  would  need 
a  day  set  apart  to  religious  worship. 

Tjhe  Fourth  Commandment  was  not  a 
new  law  given  to  the  Jews.  It  was  a  re- 
minder of  the  universal  law  given  at  cre- 
ation. They  were  to  "remember"  the 
Sabbath  day.  Six  days  they  were  to  work 
as  the  Lord  worked,  and  the  seventh  to 
rest  as  the  Lord  rested. 

Man  needs  one  day  in  seven  for  rest 
His  body  needs  it,  and  so  does  his  mind. 
Just  as  he  needs  the  rest  of  the  night,  so 
he  needs  the  Sabbath.  The  night  does 
not  entirely  repair  the  waste  of  the  day. 
It  requires  an  additional  rest  one  day  in 
seven  to  restore  full  vigor.  Experience 
has  demonstrated  that  men  who  rest  on 
(180) 


The  Sabbath.  181 


the  Sabbath  not  only  do  better  work,  but 
last  longer,  and  in  the  end  do  more  than 
those  who  work  seven  days  in  the  week. 

Man  needsi  also  a  day  of  worship.  True, 
he  may  worship  at  any  time,  but  absorbed 
in  the  ordinary  affairs  of  life  it  is  easy 
to  slight  or  entirely  neglect  religious 
service.  The  Sabbath  is  the  divinely  ap- 
pointed time  to  lay  aside  ordinary  affairs 
and  engage  in  the  worship  of  God.  Man 
needs  this  not  only  as  an  opportunity  to 
pay  the  service  which  he  owes  to  God, 
but  for  his  own  mental  and  spiritual  im- 
provement. He  needs  at  stated  intervals 
to  rise  above  the  things  which  fill  His 
mind  during  the  week.  These  are  impor- 
tant, but  they  are  of  the  earth.  They  deal 
with  what  is  "seen  and  temporal.*'  He 
needs  time  to  meditate  upon  the  "unseen 
and  eternal." 

The  Family  needis  the  Sabbath.  It  is 
man's  lot  to  labor,  and  labor  separatee 
and  absorbs  and  wearies  the  laborers.  A 
day  of  rest  is  a  day  of  home  asisociation 
and  acquaintance  and  affection. 

The  Community  needs  the  Sabbath.  All 
that  it  is  to  the  individual  and  thp  family 
it  is  to  the  State.  Labor  is  honorable;  but 
labor  with  no  day  of  rest  furnishing  op- 


182  Applied  Theology. 

portunity  for  intellectual  and  spiritual 
cultivation,  is  demoralizing,  A  nation 
without  a  Sabbath  is  on  the  down  grade. 

The  Church  needs  the  Sabbath.  It  has 
a  message  for  men;  but  how  will  they  hear 
if  they  are  absorbed  in  earthly  things? 
The  problem  of  reaching  the  masses  is 
difficult  enough  always,  but  is  increas- 
ingly difficult  where  the  Sabbath  is  dis- 
regarded. It  is  simplified  where  the  Sab- 
bath is  properly  observed. 

The  Sabbath  is  not  only  the  Church's 
opportunity  to  reach  men  with  the  Gospel, 
and  its  time  of  worship,  but  is  a  reminder 
of  the  great  central  truth  of  its  faith,  the 
resurrection  of  Christ  from  the  dead.  It 
was  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  that  our 
Lord  came  forth  out  of  the  tomb.  Before 
this  the  seventh  day  had  been  the  Sab- 
bath, but  from  this  time  on  the  disciples 
observed  the  first  day  as  "the  Lord's  day 
and  Christ  justified  the  change  by  his  ap- 
pearance to  them  during  their  meetings 
on  that  day.  The  day  was  the  set  time  for 
preaching,  for  the  "breaking  of  bread,"  or 
the  Lord's  Supper,  and  for  collections  for 
the  relief  of  poor  saints,  and  has  so  con- 
tinued in  the  Christian  Church  to  this 
time. 


The  Babhatn.  183 


The  Fourth  Commandment  is  still  the 
law  of  Grod's  kingdom.  The  change  of  day 
makes  no  difference  in  the  requirement  to 
keep  the  Sahbath  as  a  time  of  rest  and 
worship.  All  should  do  this,  not  only 
because  the  Sabbath  is  of  such  value  to 
man  and  its  observance  so  profitable,  but 
because  God  commands  it.  He  is  the  Lord, 
and  has  a  right  to  command. 

Here,  however,  diflSculty  arises.  Good 
people  are  sometimes  a  law  unto  them- 
selves. They  see  no  harm  in  certain 
amusements  or  work  on  the  Sabbath  day, 
and  assert  their  Independence  of  rules 
which  others  observe.  They  argue  that  too 
great  strictness  Is  an  evil,  and  makes  the 
day  burdensome  and  not  restful.  There 
may  be  a  measure  of  truth  in  this,  but  the 
tendency  of  the  time  is  not  to  over-strict- 
ness, but  to  laxity.  Moreover,  the  ques- 
tion, while  personal,  is  also  one  of  public 
policy  and  the  general  good.  The  Sabbath 
question  has  developed  a  conflict,  and  it  is 
important  that  good  men  throw  their  In- 
fluence upon  the  right  side.  One  may  feel 
that  he  is  justified  in  doing  certain  things; 
but  if  they  line  him  up  with  the  enemies 
of  the  Sabbath,  he  is  equally  justified  in 
not  doing  them.     It  is  always   the  rigM 


184  Applied  Theology. 


of  a  Christian  to  give  up  his  rights.  He 
may  be  more  strict  than  the  law  requires, 
if  such  strictness  is  for  the  general  good. 
He  can  hardly  be  too  strict  for  his  own 
good.  Spending  the  entire  day  In  rest, 
and  in  the  public  and  private  exercises  of 
God's  worship,  except  so  much  as  is  taken 
up  in  works  of  necessity  and  mercy,  he 
will  himself  be  blessed  in  body,  mind  and 
soul,  and  his  influence  will  be  on  the  side 
of  truth  and  righteousness. 


PARENTS  AND  CHILDREN. 

The  principle  of  the  Fifth  Oommand- 
ment  is  the  foundation  of  all  human  gov- 
ernment. In  primitive  times  the  family 
was  the  State,  with  the  father  as  head 
or  chief.  Afterwards  familiea  grew,  or 
were  combined  with  other  families,  into 
tribes,  and  tribes  into  nations.  Govern- 
ment is  a  divine  institution.  "The  powers 
that  be,"  or  the  rulers,  are  ordained  of 
God,  and  are  to  be  obeyed  and  honored. 

The  family,  though  only  a  part  of  the 
State,  is  still  a  government;  and  the 
parents  are  its  divinely  appointed  rulers. 
TO  honor  them  is  to  recognize  the  neces- 
sary conditions  of  life  and  submit  to  law- 
ful authority. 

It  is  natural  for  children  to  depend  upon 
their  parents.  In  early  years  they  must 
do  this,  and  the  habit  clings  to  them  after 
they  are  grown.  It  is  natural  also  to  love 
them,  and  to  manifest  this  love  in  acts 
of  tenderness   and   helpfulness. 

The  Bible  requires  more  than  this.  It 
emphasizes  the  duty  of  children  to  obey 
(  13  )  (  185  ) 


186  Applied  Theology. 

and  honor  their  parents,  and  assigns  two 
reasons,  viz.:  because  it  is  right  and  be- 
cause it  is  for  the  child's  good.  "Chil- 
dren, obey  your  parents  in  the  Lord,  for 
this  is  right."  "Honor  thy  father  and  thy 
mother,  that  thy  days  may  be  long  upon 
the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth 
thee." 

Obedience  to  law  promotes  health  and 
prosperity.  Youth  is  surrounded  by 
temptations.  Appetites  and  passions  need 
restraint.  Indulgence  means  weakness 
and  early  decay.  Obedience  of  children  to 
those  who  are  over  them  in  the  Lord 
means  health  and  strength  and  long  life. 

The  duty  of  children  to  honor  and  obey 
their  parents  involves  the  duty  of  parents 
to  show  themselves  worthy  of  honor  and 
obedience.  "Ye  fathers,  provoke  not  your 
children  to  wrath,  but  bring  them  up  in 
the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord." 
Harshness,  arbitrariness  and  neglect  are  a 
violation  of  the  Fifth  Commandment.  Pro- 
vision for  the  body  and  mind  is  not  the 
full  measure  of  parental  duty.  Children 
are  entitled  to  be  taught  the  way  of  salva- 
tion and  to  a  godly  example.  He  who 
expects  honor  from  his  children  must  him- 
self honor  his  Father  in  heaven. 


Parents  and  Children.  187 

Every  age  has  its  peculiarities  and  per- 
ils, and  one  of  our  perils  is  irreverence,  or 
obliviousness  to  law  and  authority.  Chil- 
dren mature  early,  and  cast  off  parental 
restraint.  The  trend  in  the  family  and 
school  is  toward  mild  suasion  in  prefer- 
ence to  strict  requirement  and  discipline. 
The  danger  in  this  is  that  children  will 
grow  up  with  the  impression  that  there 
is  no  law  and  no  punishment,  and  that 
while  they  are  to  be  reasoned  with  and 
advised,  they  themselves  are  the  final  au- 
thority in  all  matters.  This  impression 
Is  the  starting  point  of  lawlessness.  Dis- 
regard of  parental  authority  leads  to  dis- 
regard of  the  law  of  the  land  and  of  the 
divine  law. 

The  State  has  a  right  to  require  of 
parents  that  they  train  their  children  to 
respeet  and  obey  the  civil  authorities.  God 
does  require  that  they  train  them  to  fear 
and  honor  him. 


"SUFFER     LITTLE     CHILDREN." 

Ask  the  children  in  a  Christian  family 
to  recite  a  Bible  verse,  and  in  most  cases 
they  will  recite:  "Suffer  little  children  to 
come  unto  me  and  forbid  them  not.  for  of 
such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  This  is 
"the  children's  verse."  It  expresses  Christ's 
love  for  children,  and  his  readiness  to  re- 
ceive and  bless  them. 

This  verse,  however,  was  not  spoken  to 
children,  but  to  the  disciples  who  were  to 
be  ministers  and  teachers  and  rulers  of  the 
Church.  It  is  therefore  a  minister's  verse, 
and  an  elder's  verse.  It  is  a  direction  to 
the  Church  as  to  its  duty  to  children: 
"Of  such  is  the  kingdom."  They  have  their 
place  and  rights.  They  are  not  to  be  for- 
bidden or  discouraged  or  shut  out. 

It  is  a  parent's  text.  Parents  must  not 
keep  their  children  from  Christ.  Neither 
by  command  nor  by  example,  nor  by  any- 
thing which  disturbs  their  childish  faith, 
nor  for  any  reason,  must  they  hinder  the 
child  from  accepting  the  salvation  offered 
in  the  Gospel. 
(188) 


Suffer  Little  Children.  189 

"Forbid  them  not"  is  really  an  invita- 
tion. It  means:  "Bid  them  to  come."  They 
are  not  only  not  to  be  discouraged,  but  to 
be  encouraged.  They  are  to  be  taken  to 
church,  and  taught  that  Christ  is  the  Sav- 
ior, and  that  he  desires  their  love  and 
service.  It  is  their  right  to  be  trained  in 
the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lora, 
and  to  have  a  good  example  set  for  them 
by  their  parents  and  all  who  are  over  them 
in  the  Lord. 


"THY  NEIGHBOR  AS  THYSELF." 

Religion  is  a  matter  not  only  of  wor- 
ship, but  of  life.  It  involves  relations  to 
God  and  man,  and  has  rewards  for  the 
present  as  well  as  the  future.  Christ 
summed  up  tlie  whole  law  in  two  command- 
ments: "Thou  Shalt  love  the  Lord  thy 
God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy 
soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind;  and  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself." 

Love  is  a  comprehensive  word.  Lofve  to 
God  includes  such  recognition  of  his  di- 
vine character  and  devotion  as  makes  him 
the  chief  object  of  worship  and  service. 
Love  to  man  includes  such  interest  in  his 
welfare,  such  regard  for  his  rights,  and 
such  helpfulness  in  his  distress  as  puts 
him  upon  a  par  with  ourselves  in  all  our 
dealings.  "Do  unto  others  as  ye  would 
that  others  should  do  unto  you"  is  a  re- 
assertion  of  the  command,  "Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 

Love  seeks  the  good  of  its  object.  It 
takes  no  pleasure  in  smiting  or  giving 
pain.  The  natural  heart  is  selfish  and 
hasty  and  revengeful  and  brutal.  Cain  rose 
up  against  Abel  his  brother  and  slew  him. 
History  is  a  long  succession  of  conflicts 
(190) 


Thy  Neighbor  as  Thyself.  191 

in  which  anger  and  ambition  have  tri- 
umphed through  violence. 

The  law  as  given  amid  the  thunders 
of  Sinai  was,  "Thou  shalt  not  kill." 
This  was  the  announcemenit  of  the  sacred- 
11  ess  of  human  life.  Excepting  for  crime, 
and  by  the  constituted  authorities,  no  man 
can  shed  another's  blood.  To  kill  or  maim 
or  mutilate  a  fellow  being  is  a  sin  against 
God.  So  it  is  to  kill  or  maim  one's  self. 
The  law,  "Thou  shalt  not  kill,"  with  the 
interpretation,  "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neigh- 
bor as  thyself,"  forbids  violence  either  to 
others  or  to  ourselves.  Suicide  is  as  sinful 
as  any  other  form  of  murder. 

The  sin  of  murder  is  not  all  in  the  act. 
"Whosoever  is  angry  with  his  brother 
without  a  cause  shall  be  in  danger  of  the 
judgment."  "He  that  hateth  his  brother  is 
a  murderer."  The  spirit  of  the  sixth  com- 
mandment is  the  spirit  of  forgiveness.  He 
wlio  has  not  this  spirit  finds  no  favor  with 
G-od.  "If  ye  forgive  not  men  their  tres- 
passes, neither  will  your  Father  in  heaven 
forgive  your  trespasses."  "If  thou  bring 
thy  gift  to  the  altar  and  there  rememb cr- 
est that  thy  brother  hath  aught  against 
thee,  leave  there  thy  gift  before  the  altar 
and  go  thy  way.  First  be  reconciled  to 
thy  brother  and  then  come  and  offer  thy 
gift."    Unrighteous   anger    unfits   one    for 


192  Applied  Theology. 

religious  service.  Sucti  anger,  whether 
manifest  in  violence  or  not,  is  sin  both 
against  man  and  God. 

Adultery  is  as  Injurious  to  our  fellowmen 
and  as  heinous  in  the  sight  of  God  as  mur- 
der. The  family  relation  is  sacred.  To 
violate  it  is  a  sin  not  only  against  the  par- 
ticular family,  but  against  society.  To  set 
aside  the  divine  law  of  marriage,  either 
through  lawless  love  or  wicked  laws,  is 
demoralizing  and  hateful  to  God.  Polyg- 
amy, unscriptural  divorce  and  prostitution 
are  evidences  of  poison  in  the  blood,  and 
pledges  of  evil,  unless  the  national  con- 
science is  aroused.  Adultery  is  not  in  the 
overt  act  alone.  Our  Savior  taught:  "Ye 
have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said  by  them 
of  old  time,  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adul- 
tery, but  I  say  unto  you  that  whosoever 
looketh  upon  a  woman  to  lust  after  her 
hath  committed  adultery-  with  her  in  his 
heart."  As  anger  is  a  violation  of  the 
sixth  commandment,  so  lust  is  a  violation 
of  the  seventh.  Both  are  sins  against  God, 
and  violations  of  the  command,  "Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  This  subject 
is  one  of  peculiar  delicacy,  and  many  pas- 
tors, teachers  and  parents  pass  it  with  gen- 
eral remarks  as  to  purity.  In  some  cases 
this  is  best,  but  in  others  it  is  not.  People 
are  more  familiar  with  evil  than  they  once 


Thy  Neighbor  as  Thyself.  193 

were.  Suggestions  of  impurity  wMcli 
would  not  have  been  tolerated  a  generation 
ago  are  noiw  common.  Signboards  display 
pictures  advertising  impure  plays.  Novels 
treating  of  illicit  love  and  marital  infidelity 
are  widely  circulated.  Tbese  are  talked  of 
even  by  young  people,  wbo  are  thus  famil- 
iarized with  sin.  Moreover  these  things 
stimulate  passion  and  blunt  the  moral 
sense,  and  render  one  weak  in  time  of 
temptation.  Every  Christian,  considering 
the  commandments,  s'hould  pray  with  each 
one,  and  certainly  with  the  seventh,  "Lord, 
be  merciful  unto  us  and  incline  our  hearts 
to  keep  thy  law."  Moreover  he  should 
pray:  "Deliver  us  from  temptation,"  and 
should  be  watchful  against  defiling  sug- 
gestions in  any  form.  "I  will  set  no  wicked 
thing  before  my  eyes."  I  will  not  look 
upon  impurity  or  talk  about  or  meditate  on 
it,  or  read  it  or  hear  it.  "Blessed  are  the 
pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God." 
Love  for  one's  neighbor  requires  him  not 
only  to  be  pure,  but  to  promote  purity. 
Stealing  is  the  most  natural  manifestation 
of  selfishness,  and  selfishness  is  the  oppo- 
site of  the  love  required  by  God's  law.  The 
desire  to  gain  property  and  hold  it  safely 
ic  at  the  foundation  of  social  prosperity. 
He  who  steals  strikes  at  this  foundation. 
He  injures  not  only  the  one  from  whom  he 


194  Applied  Theology. 

steals,  but  the  connnunity  as  well.  So 
does  he  who  obtains  money  by  false  pre- 
tense or  fraud,  or  avoids  the  payment  of 
honest  debts.  As  one  wishes  to  keep  and 
enjoy  what  belongs  to  him,  so  if  he  love 
his  neighbor  as  himself  he  will  wish  the 
same  for  his  neighbor,  and  the  thought 
of  dishonesty  will  be  hateful  to  him.  So 
will  the  thought  of  false  testimony  against 
a  neighbor.  The  command  forbids  not 
only  false  swearing  in  court,  but  all  un- 
truth, scandal,  exaggeration  and  evil  sug- 
gestion. It  requires  kindness  in  judging 
and  speaking  of  others.  "Charity  thinketh 
no  evil,  rejoiceth  not  in  iniquity.  Its  ears 
are  not  open  to  evil  reports.  It  discourages 
hurtful  gossip,  and  delights  in  things 
that  are  lovely  and  of  good  report. 
Ihe  spirit  of  love  is  the  spirit  of 
truth,  honesty,  purity  and  kindness.  It 
is  the  spirit  of  fair  dealing,  of  respect  for 
person,  property,  reputation  and  feelings. 
It  seeketh  not  its  own  at  the  expense  of 
another.  It  is  generous.  It  even  yields  its 
rights  for  the  good  of  others.  It  is  this 
spirit  which  the  Apostle  Paul  commended 
when  he  said:  "Look  not  every  man  on 
his  own  things,  but  every  man  also  on  the 
things  of  others.  Let  this  mind  be  in  you 
which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus." 


COVETOUSNESS. 

When  the  inspired  apostle  writes  that 
"the  love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil," 
or  "a  root  of  all  kinds  of  evil.."  he  does 
not  condemn  money  nor  the  effort  to  earn 
it,  nor  even  the  desire  to  accumulate  a 
competence.  His  subject  is  not  money, 
but  "the  love  of  money." 

"Love"  is  a  strong  word.  It  describes 
the  ruling  passion.  It  is  not  admiration, 
nor  fancy,  nor  liking,  but  complete  devo- 
tion. Christ  said,  "Take  heed  and  beware 
of  covetousness,"  illustrating  his  words 
by  the  parable  of  the  rich  fool,  whose  pas- 
sion was  to  hoard  up  his  property,  and 
whom  he  condemned  not  because  he  was 
rich,  but  because  his  treasure  was  "for 
himself,"  and  not  "toward  God,"  and  be- 
cause wealth  with  him  was  "the  God," 
and  because  he  counted  wealth  the  su- 
preme thing.  It,  above  all,  was  to  be 
sought  and  kept,  and  from  it  he  expected 
his  greatest  gratification. 

The  root  of  evil  is  the  passion  for  money 
which  makes  it  the  chief  end  of  life.    Such 

(195) 


196  Applied  Theology. 

love  is  a  violation  not  only  ef  the  Tenth 
CkDmmandment,  but  of  thp  First,  for  the 
two  are  essentially  one.  There  is  great 
force  in  the  statement  of  the  apostle  when 
he  speaks  of  "covetousness  which  is  idol- 
atry." He  who  gives  to  wealth,  or  any- 
thing else,  the  place  which  belongs  to  God 
is  an  idolater. 

Covetousness  is  a  sin  not  only  against 
God  and  man,  but  against  self.  It  exalts 
an  inferior  motive.  It  prompts  one  to 
seek  first  of  all  that  which  in  the  end  will 
not  satisfy  him.  The  Scriptures  and  hu- 
man experience  testify:  "He  that  loveth 
silver  shall  not  be  satisfied  with  silver, 
nor  he  that  loveth  abundance  with  in- 
crease." It  disturbs  the  mental  balance. 
It  dwarfs  the  ideal  of  enjoyment,  and  of 
the  family,  and  of  social  life,  and  of  busi- 
ness, and  even  of  money  Itself.  It  crowds 
out  better  motives  and  good  impres- 
sions. As  some  plants  exhaust  the  soil 
and  others  prevent  useful  growth,  so  it 
impoverishes  the  soul  and  prevents  the 
grow^th  of  Christian  graces. 

It  is  a  root  of  evil  not  only  in  the  Indi- 
vidual soul,  but  in  the  community.  It  is 
the  starting  point  of  sharp  practice,  extor- 
tion and  fraud.    It  leads  to  gambling  and 


Covetousness.  197 


speculation.  When  these  bring  great  for- 
tunes they  are  an  evil  object  lesson.  Men 
are  not  satisfied  with  daily  bread  or  a 
competence,  or  even  with  moderate  wealth. 
Their  ideal  is  the  vast  fortune  some  one 
else  'has  attained. 

The  only  way  to  rid  the  soul  of  this 
root  of  evil  is  by  planting  something  bet- 
ter. The  secret  of  deliverance  is  in  the 
expulsive  power  of  a  new  affection.  Cov- 
etousness is  selfishness.  Love  to  God  and 
man  will  banish  it.  "Set  your  affections 
on  things  above."  "Look  not  every  man 
on  his  own  things,  but  every  man  also 
on  the  things  of  others."  "Let  this  mind 
be  in  you  which  was  als®  in  Christ  Jesus." 
He  is  the  perfect  example  of  unselfishness. 
"Though  he  was  rich,  yet  for  our  sakes 
he  became  poor."  The  one  thing  which 
every  man  should  covet  is  the  loving,  un- 
selfish, helpful  mind  of  Christ.  Deliver- 
ance from  selfishness,  covetousness  and 
every  evil  motive  is  in  love  to  God,  and 
recognition  of  his  character  and  will. 
"Because  he  hath  set  his  love  upon  me, 
therefore  will  I  deliver  him.  I  will  set 
him  on  high,  because  he  hath  known  my 
name." 


NATIONAL    SAFETY. 

Few  Americans  are  willing  to  admit  that 
there  can  be  defect  in  our  system  of  gov- 
ernment or  serious  danger  to  its  perpe- 
tuity. We  glory  in  our  Constitution  and 
history,  and  enter  with  zest  into  the  cele- 
bration of  our  national  holiday.  Let  ua 
not,  however,  be  blinded  by  smoke  nor 
deafened  by  noise.  A  nation's  safety  Is 
neither  in  its  Constitution  nor  in  its  his- 
tory, nor  in  the  enthusiasm  with  which  its 
people  celebrate  its  anniversary.  National 
permanence  and  greatness  depend  on  na- 
tional morality;  using  the  word  in  a  wide 
sense,  for  obedience  to  G-od's  law.  "Happy 
is  that  people  whose  God  is  the  Lord." 

The  question  for  us  is  one  of  loyalty  to 
the  righteous  principles  upon  which  our 
government  was  founded.  We  live  in  an  age 
of  great  things.  The  country  has  grown  in 
population,  territory,  wealth  and  influence 
among  nations.  But  prosperity  has  dangers. 
Power  breeds  self-satisfaction.  Luxury  is 
demoralizing.  Great  fortunes,  hastily  accu- 
mulated, are  an  evil  object  lesson.  Worldly 
(198) 


National  Safety.  199 

success  is  magnified,  and  by  many  made  the 
chief  end  of  life. 

The  spirit  of  the  age  is  a  spirit  of 
covetoiisness.  Men  are  in  haste  to  be  rich. 
It  is  a  spirit  of  irreverence.  Children  mar- 
ture  early  and  throw  off  parental  restraint 
So  they  throw  off  the  restraints  of  religion. 
It  is  a  spirit  of  carelessness  in  regard  to 
right  and  wrong,  and  in  regard  to  truth. 
This  is  manifest  in  profanity  and  Sabbath 
violation,  and  in  public  and  private  cor- 
ruption. 

It  is  no  discredit  to  a  man  that  he  is  not 
in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  the  age.  The 
Church  never  has  been  in  harmony  with 
it.  Moses  was  not  in  harmony  with  the 
spirit  of  his  day;  neither  was  Christ  with 
that  of  his.  The  Apostle  Paul  and  Martin 
Luther  and  John  Calvin  each  opposed  the 
spirit  of  his  day.  It  is  no  discredit  that 
one  is  "behind  the  times."  The  spirit  of 
the  age  is  only  another  expression  for  the 
"spirit  of  the  world,"  which  is  evil,  and 
to  which  the  Church  is  opposed.  Every 
Christian  should  set  himself  against  it. 

Mere  passive  morality  is  not  enough. 
We  owe  it  to  our  country  not  only  to  be 
good,  but  to  promote  what  is  good.  Every 
Christian   should   be   an   active  power  in 


200  Applied  Theology. 

society  and  the  State.  We  are  inclined  to 
divide  up  our  duties  and  to  label  each  di- 
vision, and  so  to  distinguish  between  pub- 
lic and  personal  matters.  We  speak  of 
political  duties  often  in  a  narrow  way,  as 
if  paying  taxes,  voting  the  best  ticket,  and 
helping  make  good  tickets  at  primary 
meetings  were  the  whole  of  citizenship. 
They  are  a  small  part  of  it.  There  is 
one  duty  which  underlies  and  comprehends 
all  others.  This  is  at  once  personal  and 
public,  for  it  concerns  men  in  all  the  rela- 
tions of  life.  It  is  our  duty  to  God.  It  is 
the  recognition  of  his  authority  and  right 
and  of  our  obligation  to  do  his  will.  If 
this  be  neglected,  our  best  patriotism 
amounts  to  nothing.  If  it  be  attended  to, 
we  can  not  go  far  astray  in  anything.  "Ye 
that  love  the  Lord,  hate  evil."  The  man 
who  serves  God  will  best  serve  his  coun- 
try. 

The  Christian  man  should  carry  his 
Christianity  into  politics.  His  code  of 
morals  should  be  the  same  always  and 
everywhere.  What  is  wrong  in  private 
or  social  life  is  wrong  in  political  life.  We 
are  slow  to  recognize  this.  Maxims  and 
customs  allow  things  which  our  conscience 
should  condemn.    If  the  eighth  command- 


National  Safety.  201 

ment  forbids  the  taking  of  a  neighbor's 
property,  it  forbids  no  less  the  underes- 
timation of  property  for  taxation,  as  well 
as  all  public  corruption.  If  the  ninth 
commandment  forbids  social!  slander.  It 
also  forbids  the  slander  of  a  political  op- 
ponent Many  good  people,  who  in  other 
respects  keep  the  law  of  God,  esteem  it  a 
light  thing  to  bear  false  witness  in  a 
heated  political  campaign.  The  duty  of 
Christian  people  is  to  keep  God's  law  in 
every  jot  and  tittle.  By  this  they  advance, 
so  far  as  their  Influence  goes,  their  coun- 
try's highest  interest. 

Infidelity  and  immorality  are  the  ene- 
mies of  good  government.  Tlie  nation  in 
which  they  gain  the  upper  hand  is  a 
doomed  nation.  Money  will  not  save  it. 
An  army  and  navy  will  not  save  it. 
Neither  will  education  nor  cultuTe  nor 
commerce,  nor  enthusiasm  manifested  in 
fireworks  and!  patriotic  speeches.  The  end 
may  not  come  in  one  generation.  Strong 
forms  of  government  may  last  after  the 
nation  has  become  corrupt  The  throne 
may  be  maintained!  for  a  time  by  violence 
and  cruelty.  God  allowed  Solomon  to  finish 
his  reign,  but  wrested  the  kingdom  from 
his  son. 
(14) 


202  Applied  Theology. 

With  a  nation  like  oure,  punisliment  is 
apt  t0  follow  close  upon  sin.  Our  Ck)nstl- 
tution  is  a  good  instrument  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  good  people.  It  is  probably 
the  best  that  has  been  devised  in  modem 
times  for  the  government  of  a  nation  that 
fears  God;  but  for  a  people  given  over  to 
iniquity  it  is  not  only  weak,  but  danger- 
ous. Our  hope  is  not  In  the  Constitution, 
but  in  God,  whom  as  a  nation  we  serve. 

This  is  a  God-fearing  and  a  God-serving 
land.  It  has  dangerous  classes,  and  these 
sometimes  seem  to  gain  ascendency.  It 
has  a  proportion  of  infidels  and  blasphem- 
ers, but  the  mass  of  the  people  believe  in 
God  and  are  disposed  to  keep  his  laws. 
People  in  large  cities  are  apt  to  be  pessi- 
mistic. Such  cities  are  centers  of  both 
good  and  evil.  They  underestimate  the 
good  and  overestimate  the  bad.  There  are 
evidences  that  the  good  is  steadily  ad- 
vancing; that  temperance  and  obedience 
to  law  and  the  worship  of  God  are  stronger 
to-day  than  they  were  ever  before.  Many 
long  for  "the  good  old  times,"  but  statis- 
tics show  that  the  best  times  are  now,  and 
our  faith  is  that  there  are  better  still  to 
follow. 

America  has  a  high  mission.     In  God's 


National  Safety.  203 

providence  she  is  to  work  the  salvation 
of  other  lands.  "God  is  in  the  midst  of 
her,  therefore  she  shall  not  he  moved." 
Faith,  however,  must  not  neglect  works. 
Our  first  duty  is  obedience  to  every  law 
of  God,  and  our  second  a  strong  and  per- 
sistent effort  to  bring  others  to  this  same 
obedience.  The  highest  patriotism  is  in 
the  effort  to  lead  souls  to  Christ 


PHILANTHROPY. 

The  Church  is  the  greatest  of  all  phil- 
anthropic societies.  Whoever  labors  to 
help  and  elevate  men,  does,  though  he  may 
not  so  intend,  the  work  of  the  Church.  A 
writer,  contrasting  philanthropy  and  relig- 
ion, says:  "It  is  better  to  help  the  dis- 
tressed than  to  pray."  But  there  is  no  ar- 
gument in  such  contrast,  for  praying  peo- 
ple are  helpful  people.  Christianity  is 
philanthropy.  From  the  time  of  its  Foun- 
der, who  "came  not  to  be  ministered  to,  but 
to  minister,"  who  healed  the  sick  and  com  • 
forted  the  distressed,  it  has  been  human- 
ity's helper.  Its  work  is  seen  in  hospitals, 
and  orphan  asylums,  and  kindergartens, 
and  large  contributions  to  relieve  sufferers 
from  flood  and  famine. 

It  is  true  that  people  outside  the 
churches  give  to  these  causes,  but  this 
does  not  make  them  less  the  work  of  Chris- 
tianity. They  are  found  only  in  lands 
where  the  atmosphere  is  Christian.  The 
principles  of  the  gospel  are  a  part  of  our 
civilization.  Men  may  deny  its  power,  and 
(204) 


Philanthropy.  205 


yet  share  at  least  in  a  part  of  its  blessings. 
There  are  those  who  repudiate  God's  Word 
and  yet  delight  in  the  helpful  results  of  its 
teaching.  "Away,"  they  cry,  "with  this 
rubbish  of  ages!  we  will  clear  our  fields, 
cut  down  these  vines;  we  want  only  the 
grapes  of  humanity  and  helpfulness;  their 
clusters  are  beautiful,  but  the  vines,  these 
dogmas  and  sermons  and  prayers,  are  un- 
sightly." We  heed  rather  the  word  of  our 
Savior:  "I  am  the  vine;  ye  are  the 
branches."  "These  things  I  command 
you,  that  ye  love  one  another."  There 
would  be  no  grapes  without  the  vine,  and 
no  real  philanthropy  without  the  Bible. 
Heathenism  does  not  build  hospitals,  nor 
interest  itself  in  any  way  in  the  relief  of 
distress  or  in  the  elevation  of  men. 

Some  Christian  people,  seeing  the  dis- 
tress and  ignorance  of  multitudes,  think 
the  Chupch  should,  above  all,  give  tem- 
poral relief.  They  count  that  more  impor- 
tant than  the  preaching  of  salvation  in  the 
life  to  come.  It  is  certainly  the  Church's 
duty  to  feed  the  hungry,  and  clothe  the 
naked,  and  visit  the  sick.  These  ought  it 
to  do,  but  not  to  leave  its  chief  work  un- 
done.   Whenever  it  ceases  to  care  for  the 


206  Applied  Theology. 

fcouls  of  men,  it  will  soon  cease  to  care  for 
their  bodies. 

Christianity  does  not  stop  with  mere 
physical  help,  nor  with  education,  though 
these  are  a  part  of  its  mission.  It  deals 
with  character,  as  well  as  health;  with  the 
soul,  as  well  as  the  body.  Its  aim  is  to 
build  up  the  whole  man.  It  finds  him  sick 
and  destitute,  and  gives  physical  aid;  it 
finds  him  ignorant,  and  educates  him;  it 
sees  his  debased  spiritual  state,  and  offers 
salvation.  This  is  the  highest  philan- 
thropy. What  can  be  higher  than  to  take 
men,  deformed  by  a  sinful  nature,  warped 
by  passion  and  dwarfed  by  prejudice,  and 
to  make  them  new  men  and  women  in 
Christ?  The  physician  who  treats  a  de- 
formed child,  rind  gives  it  a  perfect  form, 
does  a  noble  work.  So  does  the  teacher 
who  from  a  dull  child  develops  an  edu- 
cated man  or  woman.  But  how  much 
above  even  these  is  the  work  of  the  Church, 
which  aims  to  restore  men  to  the  like- 
ness of  God,  and  so  to  "present  every  man 
perfect  in  Christ  Jesus." 


PRAYER. 

As  soon  as  a  child  is  born  it  wants  air; 
so  as  soon  as  a  soul  is  born  it  prays- 
"Prayer  is  the  Christian's  vital  breath,  the 
Christian's  native  air." 

It  is  the  mark  of  good  men  in  all  agea 
that  they  pray.  Ehoch  led  a  life  of  prayer. 
He  "walked  with  God."  Abraham,  Moses, 
Samuel,  David  and  Daniel  were  pre- 
eminently men  of  prayer.  The  token  of 
Paul's  conversion  was,  "Behold,  he  pray- 
eth."  And  the  testimony  of  his  writing 
is  that  he  both  prayed  and  exhorted  others 
to  pray.  Christ  spent  whole  nights  in 
prayer,  and  taught  his  disciples  to  pray, 
and  to  be  importunate  in  prayer. 

What  is  prayer?  It  is,  first  of  all,  the 
expression  of  desire.  Mere  words  or  set 
forms  are  not  prayer,  however  they  may 
be  emphasized  or  repeated.  Christ  spoke 
of  some  who  "think  that  they  shall  be 
heard  for  their  much  speaking."  One  may 
recite  over  and  over  the  very  prayer  which 
Christ  gave  his  disciples,  counting  the 
times  by  his  beads,  without  really  pray- 

(207) 


208  Applied  Theology. 

ing.  Such  repetition  may  be  prayer,  or  it 
may  be  as  idle  and  useless  as  the  grinding 
out  of  petitions  by  a  heathen  prayer  mill. 
Desire,  deep  and  earnest,  is  the  very  es- 
sence of  prayer.  God  "will  fulfill  the  de- 
sire of  them  that  fear  him."  He  will  "hear 
the  desire  of  the  humble." 

Prayer  is  the  offering  of  such  desire 
"unto  God."  Prayer  to  idols,  or  to  saints 
or  angels,  is  misdirected  and  vain.  There 
is  no  promise  in  the  Scriptures  that  Mary, 
the  mother  of  Jesus,  will  answer  prayer, 
or  do  anything  to  help  us.  Christ  did  not 
pray  to  her.  He  began  his  form  of  prayer 
with  "Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven," 
and  himself  prayed  to  the  Father.  Prayer 
made  for  the  ears  of  men,  that  he  who 
prays  may  be  seen  of  them  and  be 
esteemed  eloquent  and  gifted.  Is  not  true 
prayer.  Christ  condemned  the  Pharisees 
for  the  hypocrisy  of  such  public  prayer. 
We  do  not  know  the  hearts  of  men.  The 
most  eloquent  may  be  as  earnest  as  the 
humblest,  but  we  can  all  guard  ourselves 
against  insincerity  and  cultivate  the  true 
spirit  of  prayer,  both  in  our  public  and 
private  devotions. 

The  spirit  of  prayer  Is  the  spirit  of  sub- 
mission to  God's  will.    Christ  prayed.  "Not 


Prayer.  209 

as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt.  God  is 
infinitely  wise.  He  knows  what  is  for  our 
good.  He  is  ready  to  give  good  gifts,  but 
he  is  the  judge.  To  ask  evil  things,  or  to 
ask  in  impatience,  or  to  demand  our  own 
way  rather  than  his,  is  not  true  prayer. 
"This  is  the  confidence  that  we  have  in 
him,  that  if  we  ask  anything  according  to 
his  will  he  heareth  us." 

True  prayer  is  always  the  prayer  of 
faith.  If  ye  shall  ask  anything,  believing, 
it  shall  be  done.  Faith  is  not  merely  the 
belief  that  the  particular  petition  will  be 
granted.  It  is  confidence  in  God  that  he 
is,  and  is  a  rewarder  of  them  that 
diligently  seek  him,  and  that  he  will  hear 
and  answer,  giving  or  withholding  accord- 
ing to  his  wisdom  and  our  need. 

Prayer  is  to  be  in  the  name  of  Christ. 
He  has  opened  a  way  of  approach  to  God. 
By  him  we  have  access  to  the  Father; 
without  him  the  heavens  are  shut  up,  and 
God  is  afar  ofC,  His  promise  is,  "Whatso- 
ever ye  shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  name, 
he  will  give  it  you." 

The  spirit  of  prayer  is  humble  and 
thankful.  He  who  approaches  God  is  con- 
scious of  and  must  confess  his  sin.     Job 


210  Applied  Theology. 

said,  "Now  mine  eye  seetli  thee,  wherefore 
I  abhor  myself  and  repent  in  dust  and 
aehes."  No  matter  how  good  one  is,  God's 
holiness  reminds  him  of  his  sin.  Hence 
it  is  that  prayer,  both  public  and  private, 
so  generally  begins  with  confession.  Hence, 
too,  confession  is  followed  by  thanksgiv- 
ing. With  those  who  worship  God  in  spirit 
and  in  trnth,  the  sense  of  sin  and  of  par- 
don are  inseparable.  "Against  thee  and 
thee  only  have  I  sinned."  "There  is  for- 
giveness with  thee,  and  thou  mayest  be 
feared."  No  one  can  pray  aright  who  does 
not  realize  that  God  so  loved  the  world  as 
to  give  his  Son  to  die  for  sinners;  and  no 
one  can  realize  this  without  thanksgiving. 

True  prayer  recognizes  God  as  the 
source  of  all  good.  He  is  the  creator,  pre- 
server and  benefactor  of  men — the  giver  of 
every  good  gift.  With  Christ,  he  fre<ily 
gives  his  people  all  things,  but  bids  them 
seek  these  things  in  prayer,  with  thanks- 
giving and  confidence.  "Be  careful  for 
nothing,  but  in  everything  by  prayer  and 
supplication,  with  thanksgiving,  let  your 
requests  be  made  known  unto  God." 

He  bids  them  be  Importunate.  There  is 
a     difference     between     importunity    and 


Prayer.  211 


"much  speaking."  Importunate  prayer  is 
the  expression  of  real  desire.  It  may  be 
repeated  over  and  over  again.  What 
Christ  said  about  much  speaking  con- 
demns no  one  who  speaks  from  the  heart. 
He  who  truly  prays,  whether  in  a  few 
words  or  many,  will  be  accepted  and 
blessed. 


HINDRANCES    TO    PRAYER. 

If  "prayer  is  the  Christian's  vital  breath," 
it  is  certainly  important  to  pray,  and  to 
pray  freely  and  naturally.  Of  course,  if 
one  does  not  breathe,  he  can  not  live.  If 
he  does  not  pray,  he  has  no  spiritual  life. 
If  his  breathing  is  hindered,  either  by  de- 
fects in  his  organs  or  by  lack  of  air,  his 
vitality  is  reduced.  There  is  sound  phil- 
osophy in  the  exhortation  of  Peter  to  so 
live  "that  your  prayers  be  not  hindered." 

A  little  thing  may  obstruct  one's  breath, 
and  so  a  little  sin  may  hinder  prayer. 
One  who,  for  five  years,  had  only  a  name 
to  live,  confessed  that  his  spiritual  declen- 
sion began  when  he  took  an  unfair  advan- 
tage in  trade,  and  that  the  first  effect  was 
an  indisposition  to  pray.  Every  attempt 
brought  up  his  sin,  and  he  gave  up  trying. 
His  revival  began  when  he  visited  his  old 
home,  and  in  the  old  room  where  he  had 
twenty  years  before  given  himself  to 
Christ,  he  fell  on  his  knees  and  confessed 
his  sin,  and  promised  God  to  make  repara- 
(212) 


Hindrances  to  Prayer.  213 

tion.  Then  his  spiritual  breath  came  nat- 
urally, and  he  became  strong  again. 

There  was  a  man  of  quick  temper  who, 
if  irritated  in  the  morning,  omitted  fam- 
ily prayers.  He  could  not  pray  while 
angry,  and  confessed  with  shame  that  he 
"got  angry  oftener  and  oftener."  He  had 
grace  enough  to  know  his  danger,  and  to 
determine  that  he  "would  keep  in  a  good 
humor  until  after  worship."  Of  course  the 
worship  helped  him  to  keep  in  a  good 
humor  all   day. 

Peter  exhorts  husbands  and  wives  to  love 
and  cherish  each  other,  and  as  a  reason 
adds,  "that  your  prayers  be  not  hindered.'' 
Household  strife  is  a  hindrance  to  prayer. 
The  husband  and  wife  are  not  only  sep- 
arated in  heart  from  each  other,  but  both 
are  separated  from  God.  Love,  peace  and 
the  consciousness  of  duty  performed  pre- 
pare husband  and  wife  to  worship  with  a 
pure  heart,  while  anger  and  neglect  are  of 
a  different  spirit  and  unfit  the  soul  for 
any  religious  service.  The  same  is  true  in 
other  relations  of  life,  though  no  strife 
is  so  evil  as  that  between  husband  and 
wife,  because  no  relation  is  so  tender. 
Strife   between   a   brother   and   sister,   or 


214  Applied  Theology. 

between  a  parent  and  child,  hinders  their 
prayers;  so,  where  friends  forget  friend- 
ship, cherish  anger  and  speak  evil  of  each 
other,  their  prayers  are  hindered.  Our 
Savior  said:  "If  thou  bring  thy  gift  to 
the  altar,  and  there  rememberest  that  thy 
brother  hath  aught  against  thee,  leave 
there  thy  gift  before  the  altar,  and  go 
thy  way;  first  be  reconciled  to  thy  brother, 
and  then  come  and  offer  thy  gift."  If  you 
remember  that  any  one  has  been  wronged 
by  you,  or  that  you  have  a  quarrel  with 
any  or  have  injured  any,  be  reconciled, 
that  your  prayers  be  not  hindered.  For 
"if  ye  forgive  men  iheir  trespasses,  your 
heavenly  Father  will  also  forgive  your 
trespasses."  He  who  forgives  not,  but 
cherishes  ill-will,  is  in  no  condition  to 
pray  for  pardon  or  for  anything  else. 

Selfishness  hinders  prayer,  and  may  be 
manifest  in  the  prayer  itself. 

Personal  blessings  occupy  the  mind  to 
the  exclusion  of  other  interests.  Prayer 
should  lead  us  away  from  self  and  per- 
sonal interest  to  pray  for  others.  A  de- 
spondent Christian  once  called  on  Dr. 
Alexander.  He  could  find  no  comfort  in 
religion.     He  was  a  man  of  prayer,  but. 


Hindrances  to  Prayer.  215 

as  his  answer  showed,  he  prayed  selfishly. 
"Go,"  said  Dr.  Alexander,  "and  pray  God 
to  glorify  himself."  The  spirit  of  religion 
is  unselfish.  "The  Lord  turned  again  the 
captivity  of  Job  when  Job  prayed  for  his 
friends;"  so  he  blesses  those  who  pray  for 
others. 

Selfish  prayers  may  be  answered.  There 
are  those  to  whom  the  Lord  gives  their 
request,  but  sends  "leanness  of  soul."  The 
highest  type  of  prayer  is  that  of  Clirist: 
"Father,  glorify  thyself."  The  prayers  of 
David  ended  with  the  petition,  "Blessed 
be  the  Lord,"  and  "Let  the  whole  earth 
be  filled  with  his  glory."  The  chief  end  of 
man  is  not  temporal  blessings,  or  even 
spiritual  joy,  but  the  glory  of  God.  The 
Lord's  Prayer  begins  and  ends  with  peti- 
tions for  God's  kingdom.  Personal  bless- 
ings occupy  a  small  place. 

Pride  hinders  prayer.  "I  dwell  in  the 
high  and  holy  place  with  him  also  that 
is  of  an  humble  and  contrite  heart."  Pride 
in  the  form  of  prayer,  or  the  amount,  may 
destroy  its  power. 

All  sin  hinders  prayer.  No  one  can 
really  pray  when  conscious  of  unrepented 
sin.  A  necessary  preparation  for  th© 
prayer-meeting  is  repentance  for  past  sin 


216  Applied  Theology. 

and  determination  by  God's  grace  to  obey 
his  law  in  the  future.  No  sin  is  more 
heinous  or  more  effectually  hinders  prayer 
than  unbelief.  At  one  place  Christ  "could 
do  no  mighty  works  because  of  their  un- 
belief." 

A  wise  physician  once  said  of  a  young 
lady  that  all  his  remedies  did  her  no  good, 
because  her  style  of  dress  made  proper 
action  of  the  lungs  impossible.  She  died 
by  degrees,  because  she  only  half  breathed. 
Let  Christians  put  away  everything  that 
hinders  their  spiritual  breath,  and  their 
spiritual  strength  will  be  so  renewed  that 
they  will  mount  upon  wings  as  eagles,  and 
run  without  weariness,  and  walk  without 
fainting. 


THE  FINAL  TRIUMPH. 

Christianity  is  a  triumphing  cause.  Its 
influence  widens  and  grows  stronger  with 
the  years,  and  the  time  is  coming  when  it 
will  cover  the  whole  earth.  We  know  this, 
hecause  God  has  promised  it.  The  knowl- 
edge of  God  is  to  "cover  the  earth  as  the 
waters  cover  the  sea."  "At  the  name  of 
Jesus  every  knee  shall  bow  and  every 
tongue  confess  that  he  is  Lord,  to  the  glory 
of  God  the  Father." 

The  world  may  not  believe  this.  It  does 
not  understand  the  purpose  of  Christianity 
and  the  mission  of  the  Church,  nor  appre- 
ciate spiritual  instrumentalities.  It  sees 
the  power  of  muscle  and  numbers  and  ma- 
chinery, but  not  of  spiritual  forces.  These 
must  be  spiritually  discerned.  Many  Chris- 
tians may  not  believe,  or  at  least  not 
realize  it.  They  see  the  power  of  evil,  and 
are  dismayed.  Tbey  are  like  the  servant  of 
Elisha,  when  he  saw  the  prophet  sur- 
rounded by  tbe  armies  of  Syria,  and  cried 
out:  "Alas,  my  master,  what  shall  we  do?" 
"Fear  not.  for  they  that  be  with  us  are 
( 15  )  (  217  ) 


218  Applied  Theology. 

more  than  they  that  be  with  them."  Often 
we  need  some  one  to  pray  for  us  as  Elisha 
prayed:  "Lord,  open  his  eyes  that  he  may 
see."  When  the  Lord  opened  the  young 
man's  eyes,  he  saw  that  "the  mountain 
was  full  of  horses  and  chariots  of  fire 
round  about  Elisha."  We  should  pray  for 
ourselves  and  look  for  ourselves.  "I 
will  lift  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  hills  from 
whence  cometh  my  help."  We  have  a  great 
antagonist,  but  we  have  also  a  great  God 
to  help  us  and  fight  our  battles  for  us. 
"Our  help  cometh  from  the  Lord  which 
made  heaven  and  earth." 

The  whole  Bible  is  an  assurance  of  the 
triumph  of  Christ's  kingdom.  He  is  not 
to  "fail  nor  be  discouraged."  He  is  to 
"see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  be 
satisfied."  His  kingdom  Is  to  be  estab- 
lished, and  of  it  there  Is  to  be  no  end. 
The  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  to  become 
the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ. 

Back  of  these  promises  Is  the  power  of 
God.  We  depend  not  on  the  wisdom  or 
eloquence  of  those  who  preach,  though 
their  work  is  Important,  nor  on  the  piety 
and  faithfulness  of  those  who  sustain 
the  Church,  though  their  work  also  is  Im- 
portant; but  on  God,  who  made  the  world 


Final  Triumph.  219 


and  gave  his  Son  to  die  for  it,  who  loves 
the  Church  and  has  pledged  it  his  abiding 
presence,  and  is  in  the  midst  of  it  and 
will  give  it  the  victory.  He  has  promised 
Christ  the  heathen  for  his  inheritance 
and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for 
his  possession. 

The  Church  believes  this;  but  the  trouble 
with  too  many  is  that  they  fail  to  realize 
what  they  believe.  The  difficulties  are  al- 
ways before  them,  and  apparent  defeats 
discourage  them.  They  see  Zion's  desola- 
tions and  forget  the  coming  exaltation. 
Like  the  disciples  at  Calvary,  they  think 
of  the  tomb  rather  than  of  the  promised 
resurrection.  Their  thoughts  dwell  on  the 
work  to  be  done,  and  not  on  the  power  by 
which  they  can  do  it. 

Suppose  one  has  a  bar  of  iron  and  is 
to  cut  it  in  two;  he  has  no  tool  suited 
to  the  work  and  says  it  can  not  be  done. 
But  men  who  do  such  work  have  machines 
which  cut  Iron  as  easily  as  a  knife  cuts 
paper  or  a  needle  goes  through  cloth.  We 
need  to  consider  our  strength  as  well  as 
our  work,  to  realize  what  we  believe,  that 
God  is  the  Lord,  that  he  is  infinite,  that 
he  loves  the  Church,  and  that  his  word 
is  pledged  for  its  triumph.    Elisha  was  jus- 


220  Applied  Theology. 

tified  when  he  said:  "They  that  be  with  us 
are  more  than  they  that  be  with  them." 
Hezekiah  was  justified  when  he  said: 
"There  be  more  with  us  than  with  them, 
for  with  them  is  an  arm  of  flesh,  but  with 
us  is  the  Lord  our  God  to  help  us."  Every 
Christian  is  justified  in  saying  with  the 
Apostle  Paul:  "If  God  be  for  us,  who  can 
be  against  us?"  If  God  has  promised  the 
triumph  of  his  Church,  who  can  prevent 
it?  Why  should  we  be  dismayed  by  diffi- 
culties? God  is  our  strength,  our  present 
help.  "Therefore  will  not  we  fear  though 
the  earth  be  removed." 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  difficulties  usually 
vanish  when  we  come  to  them.  We  are 
like  the  women  on  the  way  to  the  sepul- 
cber.  They  said:  "Who  shall  roll  us  away 
the  stone  from  the  door  of  the  sepulcher?" 
It  was  too  much  for  their  strength  and  a 
burden  on  their  souls;  but  when  they  came, 
lo,  the  stone  was  rolled  away.  He  who 
trusts  in  God  sees  difficulties  disappear 
even  before  he  reaches  them.  When  the 
Church  believes  itself  invincible,  it  is  in- 
vincible. 

Why  then  is  the  victory  delayed?  We 
do  not  know.  Why  did  the  Lord  keep  his 
people  forty  years  in  the  wilderness?    No 


Final  Triumph.  221 

doubt  it  was  to  train  them  for  the  mission 
to  which  he  had  called  them.  Why  he 
deals  as  he  does  with  the  Church  we  can 
not  tell,  but  we  know  that  he  is  wise, 
and  that  in  time  his  purpose  will  be  made 
plain,  and  that  Christ  shall  be  acknowl- 
edged as  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of 
lords.  It  is  not  ours  to  question  nor  to 
doubt,  but  to  trust  and  rejoice,  and  by 
faithfulness  and  zeal  to  emphasize  the 
prayer:  "Even  so.  Lord  Jesus,  come 
quickly." 


HEAVEN. 

Heaven  is  not  a  dream  nor  a  vague 
longing,  but  a  spiritual  inheritance  as  sure 
as  the  promises  of  God.  It  includes  eternal 
life  and  a  home,  and  the  divine  presence 
and  the  companionship  of  holy  beings, 
with  congenial  occupation  and  a  share  in 
the  eternal  glory. 

We  know  first  that  there  is  eternal  life. 
Christ  said:  "He  that  believeth  on  the  Son 
hath  everlasting  life."  And  again:  "I  give 
unto  them  eternal  life."  This  does  not 
mean  simply  continued  existence,  for  such 
existence  is  the  portion  both  of  believers 
and  of  those  who  do  not  believe.  The 
Scriptures  contrast  life  and  punishment, 
and  both  are  eternal.  "These  shall  go 
away  into  everlasting  punishment,  but  the 
righteous  into  life  eternal."  All  who  are 
In  their  graves  are  to  come  forth.  "They 
that  have  done  good  unto  the  resurrection 
of  life,  and  they  that  have  done  evil  unto 
the  resurrection  of  damnation."  Eternal 
life  is  an  existence  of  conscious  peace,  of 
(222  ) 


Heaven. 


assured  forgiveness  of  sin,  and  of  perfect, 
unending  blessedness. 

Heaven  is  a  place.  There  is  a  heavenly- 
home.  "We  know  that  if  our  earthly- 
house  of  this  tabernacle  be  dissolved,  we 
have  a  building  of  God,  a  house  not  made 
with  hands,  eternal,  in  the  heavens."  We 
do  not  know  where  it  is,  or  how  it  is 
built,  but  we  know  it  will  meet  all  our 
needs.  Christ  said:  "In  my  Father's  house 
are  many  mansions."  Paul  wrote.  We  seek 
"a  city  which  hath  foundations,  whose 
builder  and  maker  is  God."  And  John  de- 
scribed the  new  Jerusalem  as  inexpressibly 
beautiful  and  glorious. 

Heaven  is  the  divine  presence.  "In  thy 
presence  is  fullness  of  joy:  at  thy  right 
band  there  are  pleasures  for  evermore." 
The  purest  joy  of  the  Christian  in  this 
life  is  in  communion  with  Christ;  so  the 
greatest  joy  of  heaven  will  be  the  perfect 
fellowship  of  the  soul  with  him,  and  this 
fellowship  he  has  promised  his  people.  To 
the  thief  on  the  cross  he  said:  "To-day 
Shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  paradise."  To 
all  the  disciples  he  said:  "I  go  to  prepare 
a  place  for  you,  that  where  I  am  ye  shall 
be  also." 


224  Applied  Theology. 

Heaven  is  fitness  for  the  divine  pres- 
ence. Christ  said:  "Blessed  are  the  pure 
in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God."  John 
wrote:  "It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we 
shall  be,  but  we  know  that  when  he  shall 
appear  we  shall  be  like  him."  Paul  writes 
that  Christians  are  predestinated  "to  be 
conformed  to  the  image  of  his  Son,"  and 
that  our  bodies  "are  to  be  fashioned  like 
unto  his  glorious  body."  We  need  not 
solve  the  mystery  of  the  resurrection. 
These  things  belong  to  the  domaiu  of  faith. 
He  who  trusts  in  Christ  and  cultivates  his 
spirit  shall  one  day  dwell  with  him  and  be 
like  him. 

^Heaven  is  fellowship  with  the  redeemed 
and  with  all  holy  beings.  The  writer  of 
Hebrews  says:  "Ye  are  come  unto  Mount 
Zion,  and  unto  the  city  of  the  living  God, 
the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  and  to  an  innu- 
merable company  of  angels,  and  to  the 
Jioneral  assembly  and  church  of  the  first- 
born, which  are  written  in  heaven,  and 
to  God  the  Judge  of  all,  and  to  the  spirits 
of  just  men  made  perfect,  and  to  Jesus  the 
Mediator  of  the  new  covenant."  We  re- 
joice greatly  in  the  companionship  of 
earth;  but  who  can  conceive  the  bliss  of 
eternal   fellowship    with   God   the   Father, 


Heaven.  225 


Son  and  Spirit,  and  with  the  apostles  and 
prophets  and  martyrs,  and  the  great  and 
good  of  all  ages.  The  best  earthly  society 
has  its  drawbacks;  but  there  are  no  draw- 
backs, no  misfits  or  uncongeniality  in  the 
society  of  heaven. 

Heaven  is  a  place  of  rest  and  satisfac- 
tion and  worship.  There  are  no  tears  nor 
sorrow  nor  death  nor  pain.  God  himself 
dwells  with  his  people,  and  is  their  Gcd. 
There  is  no  need  of  the  sun  or  moon  to 
lighten  it,  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
Lamb  is  its  light.  There  is  no  temple, 
for  "the  Lord  God  Almighty  and  the  Lamb 
are  the  temple  of  it."  John  in  his  vision 
tells  how  the  redeemed  sing  the  song  of 
Moses  and  the  Lamb,  and  how  the  angels 
and  elders  and  beasts  and  every  living 
creature  worship  God,  saying:  "Blessing 
and  honor  and  glory  and  power  be  unto 
him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto 
the  Lamb,  for  ever  and  ever." 

Heaven  is  a  place  of  recognition.  We 
shall  not  be  like  strangers  at  a  great 
reception,  standing  apart,  unknown  and 
unacquainted.  John,  in  Patmos,  knew 
Christ,  though  it  was  sixty  years  since  his 
ascension.  At  the  transfiguration,  which 
was  a  vision  of  heaven,  Peter  knew  Moses 


Applied  Theology. 


and  Elias,  whom  he  had  never  seen,  for 
he  called  them  by  name.  So  we  may  know 
not  our  Savior  and  our  friends  only,  hut 
some  we  never  saw  on  earth.  He  who 
loves  the  law  of  God  may  recognize  Moses. 
He  who  has  taken  delight  in  the  Psalma 
laay  recognize  the  Psalmist.  Here  we 
know  in  part,  but  there  we  shall  know 
even  as  also  we  are  known.  Here  we  are 
subject  to  the  limitations  of  earth,  but  no 
man  can  tell  what  capabilities  and  knowl- 
edge and  means  of  communication  we  will 
have  in  heaven.  We  shall  know  those  we 
have  known  and  loved  on  earth.  The  Bible 
does  not  say  this  in  words,  but  it  gives  us 
reason  to  believe  it.  When  David  saw  that 
his  child  was  dead,  he  said:  "He  shall  not 
return  to  me,  but  I  shall  go  to  him."  So 
concerning  our  dead  in  Christ,  we  sorrow 
not  as  those  who  have  no  hope.  We  shall 
follow  them  not  to  a  vast  realm  of  dreamy 
bliss,  or  to  walk  alone  the  streets  of  the 
indescribable  city,  but  to  a  place  of  joyful 
reunion  and  fellowship. 

Foretastes  of  such  meeting  and  recog- 
nition are  sometimes  granted  to  God's  peo- 
ple. Stephen,  when  dying,  saw  and  knew 
the  "Son  of  man."  There  are  many  records 
of  death  scenes  illumined  from  the  heav- 


Heaven.  227 


enly  world.  Cliristians  have  claimed  to 
see  faces  of  those  gone  before,  and  to  hear 
familiar  but  long  silent  voices.  Some  ex- 
plain these  by  saying  that  the  brain  is  dis- 
turbed by  disease;  but  no  explanation 
meets  all  cases.  It  is  easier  to  believe 
that  God  sometimes  lifts  the  veil  between 
the  seen  and  the  unseen,  giving  glimpses 
of  future  happiness. 

There  is  more  in  the  operation  of  the 
mind  than  can  be  told  in  human  philos- 
ophy. Why  should  dreams  which  compass 
years  and  multitudes  of  actors  pass 
through  the  mind  in  a  few  moments?  Why 
should  minds  clouded  by  age  and  disease 
suddenly  brighten  in  the  article  of  death? 
Is  it  not  because  the  soul,  anticipating 
freedom  from  the  material,  asserts  itself 
and  the  powers  it  will  exercise  in  the  life 
to  come? 

We  may  not  at  once  recognize  the  friends 
of  earth.  We  do  not  always  recognize 
them  now.  The  son,  after  long  absence, 
returns  to  his  home  so  changed  that 
parents  scarcely  know  him,  and  he  is  slow 
to  realize  that  age  has  whitened  their 
heads  and  bowed  their  backs.  So  it  ma:? 
be  when  we  meet  above.  Our  friends  will 
be  changed,  and  we  will  be  changed,  not 


228  Applied  Theology. 

through  age  and  weakness,  but  for  the  bet- 
ter. There  will  be  the  dew  of  youth,  the 
beauty  of  holiness,  and  the  image  of  Christ. 
The  blind  will  see,  the  lame  walk,  the 
crooked  be  straight,  and  the  withered 
fresh,  and  all  will  be  clothed  with  the 
robe  of  Christ's  righteousness.  The  cor- 
ruptible will  have  put  on  incorruption,  and 
the  mortal,  immortality. 

The  beginning  of  our  heavenly  life  may 
be  a  series  of  surprises.  Can  these  bright 
spirits  be  the  suffering,  the  tempted,  the 
sinful,  the  careworn  and  weary  of  earth? 
Can  this  be  the  child  whose  waywardness 
made  us  doubt  his  faith,  or  the  selfish  or 
passionate  or  wavering  Christian  who 
grieved  his  brethren  and  his  Lord?  We, 
too,  being  changed,  their  surprise  will 
equal  ours. 

Friends  will  know  each  other  better  than 
on  earth.  There  will  be  no  deception  nor 
misunderstanding;  no  deformities,  either 
of  body  or  soul.  The  suspicious  and  con- 
troversies of  life  will  be  forgotten  in  the 
light  of  perfect  knowledge,  and  the  selfish 
desires  of  life  in  satisfied  love. 

This  is  our  hope.  "Wherefore  comfort 
cne  another  with  these  words.  Let  us  be 
admonished  also,  having  such  a  hope,  to 


Heaven.  229 


purify  ourselves,  to  be  holy  as  Christ  is 
holy,  that  we  may  he  prepared  for  his 
presence  and  for  the  society  of  heaven. 

There  is  another  and  a  sad  side  to  the 
subject.  As  there  is  a  place  of  eternal  hap- 
piness, so  there  is  a  place  of  eternal  woe. 
As  the  redeemed  see  and  know  God,  so  the 
condemned  know  that  they  are  shut  out 
from  his  presence.  As  the  redeemed  rec- 
ognize each  other  in  glory,  so  the  con- 
demned know  each  other  in  condemnation. 
As  the  companionship  of  heaven  adds  to 
its  joy,  so  the  companionship  of  hell  adds 
to  its  woe.  As  heaven  is  to  be  sought,  so 
hell  is  to  be  shunned. 

The  law  of  heaven  is  love.  No  one  is 
fit  for  heaven  who  does  not  long  to  have 
others  share  his  bliss.  The  fact  that  any 
are  on  the  way  to  everlasting  woe  must 
move  us  to  earnest  effort  for  their  salva- 
tion. Knowing  the  terror  of  the  Lord,  we 
would  persuade  men  to  accept  salvation  as 
offered  in  the  Gospel. 


"WHAT   SHALL  WE   DO?" 

As  every  doctrine  of  God's  Word  has  its 
practical  application,  so  has  the  whole  body 
of  doctrine.  "Truth  is  in  order  to  good- 
ness." The  apostles,  after  extended  doctri- 
nal statements,  exhorted  to  faith  and  good 
works.  "These  things  have  I  written  unto 
you  that  ye  might  believe."  "Therefore, 
my  beloved  brethren,  be  ye  steadfast." 

Those  who  hear  or  read  theological  dis- 
cussions need  and  expect  such  exhortation. 
"What  shall  we  do?"  was  the  answer  at 
Pentecost  to  a  sermon  in  which  the  Gos- 
pel was  fully  set  forth.  Peter  announced 
the  resurrection  of  Christ  as  the  fulfill- 
ment of  prophecy  and  the  hope  of  men, 
the  proof  that  God  had  made  Jesus  "both 
Lord  and  Christ."  When  the  people  "heard 
this,"  they  "said  unto  Peter  and  to  the 
rest  of  the  apostles.  Men  and  brethren, 
what  shall  we  do?" 

The   doctrine  of  the  resun-ection  is  the 

keystone  of  theology.     All  ether  doctrines 

lead  up  to  and  support  and  are  supported  by 

it.    The  apostles  and  Christ  himself  made 

(  230) 


"What  Shall  We  Dor  231 

it  the  climax  of  argument  and  the  oppor- 
tunity for  exhortation. 

To  the  Christian  this  doctrine  is  one 
of  exceeding  comfort.  As  Christ  rose,  so 
they  that  sleep  in  Jesus  shall  rise.  In  this 
nope  we  bury  our  dead,  and  in  this  hope 
we  ourselves  approach  the  grave.  The 
whole  Gospel  is  a  message  of  comfort.  It 
is  good  news.  It  means  hope  and  satis- 
faction. It  is  an  assurance  of  heaven  and 
of  eternal  communion  with  God.  Because 
it  is  so  comforting  and  delightful  we  may 
lose  sight  of  other  matters  equally  impor- 
tant. 

The  first  effect  of  Peter's  sermon  was  not 
to  comfort,  hut  to  convict.  They  cried 
out:  "What  shall  we  do?"  The  Gospel,  so 
full  of  joy  and  peace,  is  a  message  of  warn- 
ing and  of  convicting  power.  The  resur- 
rection was  the  proof  not  only  of  Christ's 
Messiahship  and  power  to  save,  but  of 
every  claim  that  he  made  for  himself  and 
of  every  doctrine  he  declared.  He  asserted 
his  own  deity  and  atonement,  and  the  con- 
demnation of  those  who  reject  him.  He 
would  come  again  as  a  Judge,  and  separate 
the  righteous  from  the  wicked,  as  a  shep- 
herd divideth  the  sheep  from  the  goats. 

The  people  knew  that  his   resurrection 


232  Applied  Theology. 

established  the  truth  of  every  word.  They 
were  naturally  alarmed.  In  view  of  these 
things,  what  was  to  become  of  them? 
What  must  they  do  to  be  saved?  The  an- 
swer was  an  exhortation  to  accept  the  sal- 
vation offered  in  the  Gospel— to  repent  and 
believe  in  and  follow  Christ. 

This  is  the  answer  for  all  time,  and  the 
first  practical  application  of  all  theology. 
The  Gospel  is  as  true  and  as  important  as 
it  was  at  Pentecost.  The  sin  and  need  of 
men  are  as  great,  and  the  deity  and  atone- 
ment of  Christ  as  true  and  important.  Sin 
is  just  as  dreadful  and  punishment  just 
as  sure  as  it  ever  was.  The  only  way  of 
salvation  then  is  the  only  way  of  salva- 
tion now. 

The  study  of  theology,  however  inter- 
esting as  an  intellectual  exercise,  fails  of 
its  end  unless  it  convicts  and  stimulates 
to  duty.  The  hope  set  forth  in  the  Gospel 
is  no  hope  at  all  to  those  who  do  not 
meet  its  conditions.  To  those  who  reject 
it,  or  through  familiarity  with  it  are  in- 
different, there  remains  only  "a  fearful 
looking  for  of  judgment  and  fiery  indig- 
nation." 

The  acceptance  of  Christ  is  not  the  end 
of    man's    responsibility.     Having    begun 


''What  Shall  We  Dor  233 

the  life  of  faith,  he  must  keep  the  faith. 
Having  chosen  the  Christian  way,  he  must 
walk  in  it.  Having  accepted  Christ,  he 
must  cultivate  his  spirit.  He  must  be  pure 
and  true  and  just  and  loving  and  diligent. 
The  love  of  Christ  constrains  him  to  die 
unto  sin,  and  live  not  unto  self,  but  unto 
Christ.  The  Apostle  Paul,  at  the  close  of 
an  argument  on  the  resurrection,  says: 
■'Therefore,  my  beloved  brethren,  be  ye 
steadfast,  unmovable,  always  abounding 
in  the  work  of  the  Lord." 

Christian  duty  is  not  mere  passive  moral- 
ity. We  are  to  do  as  well  as  be  good.  The 
apostle  enjoins  not  only  steadfastness  and 
immovability,  but  diligence.  Christ  says: 
"I  have  chosen  you  and  ordained  you  that 
you  should  go  and  bring  forth  fruit."  The 
Christian  is  to  be  a  co-worker  with  Christ. 
His  mission  is  to  seek  and  save  the  lost. 
He  has  escaped,  but  others  are  in  danger. 
He  knows  the  way  of  salvation,  but  others 
may  not  know  it  Loving  his  neighbors 
as  himself,  he  must  seek  his  salvation. 

Theology,  to  be  orthodox,  must  be  not 
only  evangelical,  but  evangelistic.  The 
doctrine  of  missions  is  a  part  of  the  Gos- 
pel. Every  Christian  is  a  herald  of  salva- 
tion.    His  field  is  wherever  he  can  work. 


234  Applied  Theology. 

It  may  be  in  the  home  or  place  of  business, 
or  in  the  Sabbath-school  or  pulpit,  or  it 
may  be  among  the  heathen  in  a  far-off 
land.  The  field  is  the  world.  Christ's  as- 
cension command  stands  as  the  supreme 
duty  of  the  Church:  "Go  ye  into  all  the 
world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every 
creature."  And  with  it  stands  his  final 
promise:  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  world." 


